Lord Jagannath’s juggernaut ready to roll for rath yatra

Sai R Vaidyanathan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 21

Struck by the grandeur of the Jagannath Rath Yatra at Puri in Odisha, the British coined the word ‘juggernaut’.

Meaning an overwhelming force, the juggernaut has rolled on and has also touched the lives of the residents of Chandigarh. For the past many years, the Utkal Sanskrutik Sangh (USS) has been recreating the procession of Lord Krishna and his siblings, Balaram and Subhadra, in the city.

Just as Rakshabandhan and Bhai Dooj, the Rath Yatra signifies the loving bond that siblings share. Leaving his wife Goddess Lakshmi at home, Lord Jagannath goes with his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra to the home of his ‘mausi’ (maternal aunt) for nine days.

On his return, the Lord is confronted by his consort at the door and the naughty Krishna manages to cajole her with a peace offering.

It is not just a day-long function, but is actually spread out over the month. It began with Dev-snan on June 9 when the Lord was bathed with 180 pots of holy water. As a result, he developed fever.

So, for the next 15 days, he takes rest and doesn’t give darshan to devotees. He is treated with the ayurvedic ‘dasharishth’ which is made of 10 herbs and spices.

On getting well, he — in a replenished form — will give the devotees ‘nav yauvan’ (new youthfulness) darshan on June 24. “Artists from the nearby Kalibari temple have been helping us for the past three years by giving a new coat of paint to the idols,” said Sushant Kumar Nayak, general secretary of the USS.

The Rath Yatra will take place the next day (June 25). Just as the King sweeps the path of the Lord with a golden broom in Puri, eminent citizens of the city will do the needful in Chandigarh.

On the day of the Rath Yatra, over 10,000 devotees will partake of ‘langar’ in the afternoon and night.

For the next nine evenings (till July 3), devotees will be able to enjoy Hari-Naam sankirtan, followed by ‘langar’.

The month-long celebrations will end with the return journey — called Bahuda Yatra — on July 3.