Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. They are held annually during festivals in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The term also refers to the popular annual Ratha Yatra of Puri. that involve a public procession with a chariot with deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshana Chakra on a ratha, a wooden deula-shaped chariot.
Three chariots of the deities with the Temple in the background, Puri
Image: Kalpathy Chariot festival last day
Image: India Kanchipuram 022 chariot unveiled for upcoming festival (2508349542)
Image: Fete Varkala
Jagannatha is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with his (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, Purushottama, and the Para Brahman. To most Vaishnava Hindus, particularly the Krishnaites, Jagannath is an abstract representation of Krishna, or Vishnu, sometimes as the avatar of Krishna or Vishnu. To some Shaiva and Shakta Hindus, he is a symmetry-filled tantric form of Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation.
Jagannatha idol in 2011
Statue of Jagannatha at Bhubaneswar, 2015
Jagannath icons are produced from wood. They are replaced every 8 or 12 or 19 years. Above: logs in transport to prepare the Jagannath icon.
2007 Jagannath Chariot Festival in Puri, Odisha