&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Rath Yatra's sacred tradition: Why does Lord Jagannath visit his aunt's house every year?")
The Jagannath Rath Yatra officially began in the holy city of Puri, Odisha, a south-eastern city, on July 16. The massive nine-day festival of chariots, running through to the return procession (Bahuda Yatra) on July 24, is celebrated on the second day (Dwitiya Tithi) of the waxing moon in the Hindu month of Ashadha. But do you know one of the oldest traditions followed every year is when Lord Jagannath visits Aunt's temple in Puri?
What is the story behind Lord Jagannath visiting Aunt's temple in Puri?
Lord Jagannath visits his aunt's temple (Mausi Maa Temple) every year during the Rath Yatra festival, but this event takes place in Puri, Odisha, not in Dharmasthala. Dharmasthala is a prominent temple town in Karnataka known for the Sri Manjunatha Temple. The "aunt's temple" is known as the Gundicha Temple. It is located about 3 kilometres from the main Jagannath Temple. During the Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath, along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, rides in massive, newly constructed wooden chariots to the Gundicha Temple.
According to sacred traditions, the Gundicha temple is associated with Queen Gundicha, the devoted wife of King Indradyumna, who is believed to have played a significant role in establishing the worship of Lord Jagannath.
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As per the legend in several reports, Devi Subhadra expressed a strong desire to visit her aunt (Queen Gundicha). To fulfil her wish, Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra placed her on a chariot and embarked on a grand journey from the main shrine (the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha) to the Gundicha Temple. Another legend suggests that the Gundicha Temple is the exact place where Lord Brahma created the original wooden idols. Thus, the aunt’s house is also celebrated as the birthplace of the deities.
On their way back to the main temple (Bahuda Yatra), the chariots stop at the Mausi Maa Temple (the aunt's shrine). Here, the deities are lovingly offered a traditional baked sweet delicacy called Poda Pitha. During the Rath Yatra, the deities step out of the sanctum to bless everyone. This symbolises that in the eyes of the divine, there are no boundaries of caste, creed, or social status.
Why does Lord Jagannath stay away from the Jagannath Temple during Rath Yatra?
Right before the Rath Yatra, following a grand ceremonial bath during Snana Yatra, the deities supposedly catch a fever and are kept in a special sick room. For about 15 days, they stay away from public view while being treated with herbal medicines and special diets.
One of the most interesting aspects of Rath Yatra is that Lord Jagannath does not immediately return to His main temple. He leaves his sanctum sanctorum during the annual Rath Yatra to bless devotees who cannot enter the temple and during the Anasara period, when the deities ritually fall ill and are confined to a sick room to recover from the exhaustion of the Snana Yatra.
