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Rath Yatra Festival sms, Rath-Yatra Greetings 2009

Posted By sticks22 on Mar 29, 2009 FROM: rathyatra.net report abuse

Rath Yarta Festival 2008 | Rath Yatra Greetings | Rath yatra SMS | Rath Yatra 2008 | Rath Yatra Photos

The Rath Yatra is a festival suffused with devotional sentiments for the Lord. For over five thousand years, Hindus have celebrated this spectacular festival. Gathering together, they earnestly pray to the Lord to steer the chariots of their mundane lives through the vicissitudes of Samsara.

Every year on the auspicious day of Ashadh Sud 2, in early July, Hindus celebrate the Rath Yatra festival. Rath means chariot, Yatra - a pilgrimage or procession. Though this festival is celebrated all over India, it originated in Jagannath Puri on the eastern coast. Every year the deities of Jagannath Mandir - Lord Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra - are traditionally installed on huge chariots. Devotees pull the chariots in a yatra (procession) through the streets. The local king used to serve by humbly sweeping the road ahead with a golden broom. The rath yatra is also known as car festival. An annual festival commemorates the journey of Krishna from gokul to mathura.It also symbolizes a journey to light from the dark, which commences on the 2nd day of the bright fortnight in the month of Asadha (June/July). Lakhs of devotees converge to the city to join festivities lasting for nine days. In this journey, thousands haul the three huge rathas (chariots) carrying images of jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, down Grand road to the Gundicha Temple, just 2 km away in puri, orissa.

The Jagannath Temple of Puri is one of the four most famous holy pilgrimages of the Hindus. The festival of Rath Yatra celebrated here on the second day of the bright fortnight of Ashada (June-July), is world famous for the enormous crowd of devotees that gathers to witness Lord Jagannath�s yearly journey in his huge chariot. Lord Jagannath, with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, goes to his garden house �Gundecha Ghar � for five days, visiting his aunt on the way. At the end of the five days, the three siblings are brought back to the Jagannath temple in a procession called the Ultarath.Jagannatha's ratha is marked with a cakra and garuda, is yellow in color, with four white horses. The protecting deity is Nrsimha.

Description of festival :-

Baladeva's cart is blue, with a palm tree insignia, and four black horses. The protecting deity is Sesa. Subhadra's cart is black, with lotus insignia, protected by Vanadurga. Sudarsana is carried out first and placed on Subhadra's cart. In succession Subhadra, Baladeva, and Jagannatha are moved to their carts using silk ropes. After being situated on their carts they are decorated and worshipped. Midway on the journey, the carts stop, the deities are bathed in pancamrta and cool water, and naivedyam and aratrika are offered. On arrival at the Gundica Mandira, aratrika is offered, and then the deities enter the temple for rest. On the fifth day of the lunar month, called Hera (looking for) Pancami, Laksmi comes looking for Jagannatha with Siva and her maid servants. When the servants of Jagannatha see her at the first gate of the Gundica Mandira, they close the door of Jagannatha's bhoga mandira so that she cannot see him. She becomes angry and breaks a piece of Jagannatha's ratha. After taking a meal she returns to the main temple. On the ninth day of the moon, the return Ratha Yatra takes place, and Laksmi and her servants come to meet Jagannatha. Jagannatha gives her his garland to appease her. Several days later on dvadasi, Laksmi closes the temple doors in anger and her servants quarrel with Jagannatha's servants. After Jagannatha concedes defeat, the doors are opened again. Such is the reverance, the fun, the mysticism, and overall bliss of Rathyatra in Jagannath Puri.

Rath Yatra Festival in Gujarat

In many cities of Gujarat like Amdavad, Surat, Bhavnagar, etc, glorious processions are carried out annually with devotional fevour and joy. The Jagannath Mandir in Amdavad organises a yatra through the walled areas of the city. People make kaleidoscopic Raths and floats of various materials mounted on trucks. This year many youth and religious organizations in the city of Amdavad constructed ninety-eight Raths, which followed the Jagannath Mandir's fifteen decorated elephants. Onlookers and devotees thronged the narrow alleys, buildings and balconies, patiently awaiting up to three hours for the 5-km-long colorful procession to pass by at a sedate pace. When the chariots with the murtis arrived, people ritually sprinkled rice and gulal powder as a form of puja. The participants sitting in these raths liberally handed out fistfuls of prasadam of raw, sprouted mung beans. Children were given sweets and confectionary. Finally, at the rear were three raths of Subhadra, Balaram and Lord Krishna. These were all hand-drawn and pushed by devotees. The flurry and festive excitement was enhanced by the jubilant chanting of `Jai Ranchhod Makhan Chor'. Indra, the god of rain, too arrived to participate! It has been noted that sometime during the Rath Yatra, usually late afternoon or early evening, he sprinkles a light shower, never a heavy downpour, sanctifying the occasion.

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