Rathayatra:
When Puri Becomes A Temple without Walls

 

Why is Rathayatra much awaited?

Rathayatra may have been purposely designed to provide open-access darshan of the deities to devotees regardless of their caste or religion.

Here is a Sambalpuri couplet by a distressed devotee:

ଉଡ଼୍‌ସା ଯିମି ବଲି ଘିନିଥିଲିଁ ପାଟ

ଉଡ଼୍‌ସାର୍‌ ଲୁକ ଆମ୍‌କୁଁ ନାଇଁ ଛାଡ୍‌ଲେ ବାଟ

Udsaa jimi bali ghinithilin paata

Udsaar luka aamkun naain chaadle baata.

To visit Jagannath Puri,

I bought a pata saree;

Alas, the temple gate-keepers refused us entry!

A poignant couplet capturing the anguish of a deprived devotee, a woman from western Odisha, inhabited mostly by scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, and backward castes. Obviously, she belonged to a caste that was not permitted entry into Shreemandira. She and her accompanying kin were unaware that darshan of Jagannatha may be denied to a devotee. They had made the arduous, risky, and expensive journey with prayer on their lips and Jagannatha in their heart and soul. How crestfallen they must have been when denied access to the temple!

Puri: A Temple without Walls

During Rathayatra, something magical happens. Puri metamorphoses into a vast temple. A temple without walls. The presiding deities ascend their rathas and are dotingly pulled by thousands of devotees and taken to Gundicha temple. Shreemandira expands its sacred sphere to embrace and include the Bada Danda (Grand Avenue), Gundicha temple, the rest of the pilgrim city, and the millions of devotees who have travelled from far and wide.

(Source: wikimedia commons)

Rathas as Mobile Temples

“During the ratha yatra when "the Lord of the Universe" leaves his "jewelled lion throne" (ratnasimhasana) to mingle with his devotees, even the most humble, the ratha thus transforms the separate temple buildings of the "divine palace" into one, drawn by devotees from all social strata and pilgrims from all quarters of the Hindu world….

Puri's rathas are thus an example of "mobile architecture" ….. Their consecration on the eve of the ratha yatra and their outer shape identify them as the main temples during ratha yatra. Moving from the "Lions Gate" (simhadvara) in front of the Jagannatha temple … to the Gundica temple, a distance of about 3 km, they extend the ritual and sacred sphere of the temple into major parts of the town, thus transforming Puri (town) into a veritable temple city.”[i]

Rathe tu Vamanam drustva…

During the annual Rathayatra at Puri, commentators often mention a popular shloka: Rathe tu Vamanam drustva, Punarjanma na vidyate – Upon sighting Vamana atop His ratha, the devotee is released from the endless cycle of birth and death. She will be permanently stationed in Vishnuloka, and spared from the pain and suffering of mortal life, it is implied.

The full shloka is:

Dole tu DolaGovinda,

Chape tu Madhusudana,

Rathe tu Vamanam drustva,

Punarjanma na vidyate.

Release from rebirth is assured upon darshan of DolaGovinda on the swing; Madhusudana on the boat; and Vamana on the ratha. Since the shloka does not prescribe sighting of Vishnu during all the three specified festivals as essential, it is presumed that any one of the three would suffice.

Dolayatra, Chandanayatra, and Rathayatra are among the most popular of the Dwadasha Yatras, the twelve annual festivals of Srimandira, Puri. Each of the twelve lunar months of the Hindu calendar has a specific Presiding Vishnu; DolaGovinda, Madhusudana, and Vamana are the Presiding Vishnus for the respective months in which Dolayatra, Chandanayatra, and Rathayatra are held.

Dolayatra is a spring festival. On Phalguna Purnima, three deities - DolaGovinda, Bhudevi, and Shreedevi – are taken to Dola Vedi, offered dry prasad, and thereafter, placed on swings festooned with flowers, and tugged gently. The Presiding Vishnu for Phalguna (Feb-Mar) is Govinda, who when put on the dola (swing) is called DolaGovinda.

Chandanayatra, held in Vaishakha (Apr-May) commences on Akshaya Trutiya, and lasts for 42 days. Madanmohan, Rama, Krishna, Bhudevi, Shreedevi, and Pancha Shivas (interestingly called Pancha Pandavas) are placed on decorated boats (chapa in Odia) and enjoy summer boating at Narendra Tank. For Vaishakha, the Presiding Vishnu is Madhusudana, the Destroyer of Madhu- a demon. Hence, Madhusudana is deemed to be on the boat though the idol is of Madanmohan. Everyone knows that Vishnu has as many as one thousand names. Call Him by whatever name, He listens.

Rathayatra is held in Ashadha (June-July), and for this month, the Presiding Vishnu is Vamana. Hence, Jagannatha atop Nandighosha is deemed to be Vamana. That is the rationale for the shloka – Rathe tu Vamanam drustva…

Vishnu in His Vamana avatar was deceptively small, but grew and grew and grew to envelope all the earth and the skies. With two steps he obtained from Bali the earth and the heaven and with the third step on Bali’s head sent him to patala.

The Vamana or Self inside the human body is capable of similar lofty expansion.

The Parable of the Chariot

Vishnu Shodasha Nama, the sixteen names of Vishnu, provide for remembrance of a specific Vishnu for a specific purpose or occasion. During travel or journey, Vishnu’s Vamana name is to be chanted: Gamane Vamanam …

During Rathayatra, both the deity and the devotee are on a journey; Jagannatha and the accompanying deities travel from Srimandira to Gundicha temple to Srimandira; and the devotees travel to Puri to participate in the festival.

Ratha or chariot is more than a grand vehicle for transport; it is a metaphor for the human body. The title of this piece is a quote from S. Radhakrishnan’s commentary on Katha Upanishad: Shloka - 1.3.3

aatmaanam rathinam viddhi shariram ratham eva tu

buddhim tu saarathim viddhi manah pragraham eva ca

“Know the Self as the lord of the chariot and the body as, verily, the chariot, know the intellect as the charioteer and the mind as, verily, the reins.”

(The Principal Upanishads by S. Radhakrishnan)

In Katha Upanishad, upon Nachiketa’s prayer Yama explains the mystery of Death, and inter alia about the essence of life, and Brahma and atman.

Rathayatra reminds one of the parable of the Self as the lord of the chariot. The devotees who pull the ropes may be under the illusion that they are manoeuvring the ratha; but the lord of the chariot is Vishnu or Vamana.

Human body is a chariot, and the atman, though invisible, is the lord of this chariot. He controls the intellect which reins in the five senses and guides the ratha to the destination of a fulfilled life and liberation.

#RathYatra #Jagannath #SriMandirPuri

***

[i] RATHAS AND RAJAS: THE CAR FESTIVAL AT PURI by Hermann Kulke:

The special issue of "Art and Archaeological Research Papers" ( aarp, London ) vol. XVI, Dec. 1979, on "Mobile Architecture in Asia : Ceremonial Chariots. Floats and Carriages". p. 19-26.)