Lord Jagannath's Maha-Prasada

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Narada Muni once went to Vaikuntha and served Mother Laxmi very attentively. SriLaxmi was very pleased and requested Narada Muni to ask for any boon. Narada Muni replied."My dear Mother Laxmi, you must promise that whatever I ask for,you will grant."Laxmi Devi wowed that she would gladly fulfill his desire. The great saint revealed his wish: Narada Muni requested Laxmi Devi to give him the Maha-prasada remnants of Lord Narayana. Suddenly Laxmi Devi's mood changed and her face became clenched with worry."Please ask me for anything else except for the Lord's prasada,"she begged. A few days ago the Lord instructed me not to give his prasad to anyone.You must understand that I can not disobey my husband's order.My dear son,I can not give you peasada." Narada was very adamant and reminded Devi of her promise."You are the dear wife of Lord Narayana,"Narada muni said. "You must grant me this boon.Some how or another you must give me
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Lord Jagannath



Frames and Wheels are decorated with colourful  designs inspired from Odishan temple architecture. The frames are then covered with intricately embroidered black,green, red and yellow cloth. 2,500 constables and 150 traffic constables are in place to keep a close guard on the devotees and ensure their safety. As the time draws closer to the Ratha Yatra the mood becomes electrifying with faith comes a surreal energy which suffuses those who have travelled far and wide to the holy city.Passion rides the air. A day before the main event the chariots are pulled to their parking place right outside the Lion's gate at the temple. Where they await their divine passengers, the curtains will rise on the spectacular Ratha Yatra.





Old dieties of Jagannath Temple have been replaced with new ones and will finally be brought out for Nabkalebar  Ratha Yatra. Three towering chariots a five-lavered  security gordon about 10,000 security personnel close to 164 police platoons and over 1.5 million devotees who have travelled from all over the world to be here for the Maha Ratha Yatra or the Grand Chariot Parade.The three massive and magnificent chariots belong to the three main deities. The first one belongs to Lord Jagannath, the next one, the one in the center belongs to Lord Jagannath's sister Subhadra, And the one on the extreme left in red and green belongs to Lord  Jagannath's brother Balabhadra. These ropes that you're seeing which are lying in front of them are used to pull these massive magnificent chariots, But these are no ordinary ropes. These ropes are considered to be so auspicious that a mere touch of it will help you absolve all your sins.





Did you know that the word Juggernaut in English has been inspired by Jagannath , Lord Jagannath, back in the 18th century a lot of English writers used to feel this was that God who used to crush the devotees who would throw themselves in front of the wheels of this chariot, And it's not surprising
considering the size of the chariot wheels which are about 7 feet in diameter . 





The time is approaching for the deities to be brought out of the temple. Nothing deters the faithful who wait restlessly under the blazing sun. As the temperature rises , so does the fervour. Every year there's a tumout of about 500,000 to 1 million devotees who come to see their God. The 20th century had six documented NabKalebars from 1912. The moment is here, close to noon the gods are brought out of their home in an elaborate ritual called the Pahandi. First to be brought out is Lord Jagannath's brother Balabhadra who is brought out in a step-by-step motion swaying to the passion of the devotees as they sing and dance in joy . He is placed in his waiting chariot. Next Lord Jagannath's sister Subhadra is brought out almost in a lying down posture and carried to her chariot. Once Balabhadra and subhadra are brought out the crowds wait for Lord Jagannath. Dancers perform traditional Odisi dance to the accompaniment of Odishan percussion instruments and crowds jostle to see their beloved God. Finally Lord Jagannath is brought out and the devotees are ecstatic. The gods are in their seats but there is one important ritual left before the chariots begin to roll. The chhera pahanra which is performed by the King. The King leads a royal procession to the chariots which he then proceeds to sweep with a golden broom and bow down to Lord Jagannath.








The ritual goes back several hundred years and symbolises  the subjugation of the temporal and the spiritual. Back in the 12th century the Emperors of Odisa declared themselves as servants of Lord Jagannath and have this land ever since as his representative . The ritual is also a demonstration of the unique philosophy of integration and unity symbolised  by Lord Jagannath . There is absolutely no distinction between caste,creed or any other barrier during the entire festival. The horses are mounted, four thick ,long ropes made of coconut fibre nearly 250 feet long and 8 inches in diameter are attached to each chariot . And the journey begins . It is an incredible moment . When the Raths begin to move , the giant wheels start rolling and the crowd goes hysterical , The chariot of Lord Balabhadra is called Taladhwaja after the palm tree seen on its flag. It is 44 feet in height and has 14 wheels . The smallest chariot belongs to Subhadra and is called Darpadalana or literally ,the trampler of pride . It rises 43 feet high has wheels and is decked with black and red cloth and the Ratha Yatra is a symbolic journey . In the sacred Hindu texts,Upanishads rath is defined as body and this distance is believed to represent symbolically the path the body takes to reach its destination or nirvana or salvation . The crowds throng around the chariots pulling the ropes a spectacle which redefines faith in more ways than one. Almost 5 hours and 3 kilometers later the chariots finally reach their destination the Gundicha Temple . And with the same fervour and passion the deities are taken in. This marks the start of the seven-day soiourn of the deities after which they will go back to their residing home the Jagannath Temple from the Gundicha Temple.

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