Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025: 10 Interesting facts you should know

Jagannath Rath Yatra, or Chariot Festival, or Shree Gundicha Yatra, is a prominent festival of the Hindu religion and is celebrated annually. This year's festival is being celebrated today, June 27. It is one of the iconic and spiritually significant festivals of India associated with Jagannath, a form of Vishnu, with many rituals and details. Here are the 10 interesting facts about Jagannath Rath Yatra-

There are three deities

The three deities Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are drawn by a multitude of devotees in three massive wooden chariots.

Deities leave the temple

They leave their sanctum in the Jagannath Temple and move to the Gundicha Temple, where they reside for a week and then return to the Jagannath Temple- a rare case when god is coming out to meet people.

Newly constructed chariots

Chariots are constructed anew every year with wood of specified trees like phassi, dhausa, etc, and designed with the prescribed scheme. This design remains the same, never changes. Each chariots have a guardian, Garuda, Vasudeva, Jayadurga, respectively, for Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.

Each chariot has a name

Each deity rides a unique chariot:

Nandighosa (for Jagannath) – 18 wheels

Taladhwaja (for Balabhadra) – 16 wheels

Darpadalana (for Subhadra) – 14 wheels
These are decorated with bright colored canopies and pulled by devotees.

No Foreigners Allowed Inside the Temple

No foreigners or non-Hindus are allowed within the temple vicinity. However, during Rath Yatra, everyone can see and even touch the deities, symbolising Lord Jagannath’s universal accessibility.

King Sweeps the Path

The Gajapati King of Puri performs the 'Chhera Pahanra' ritual, where he sweeps the chariot platform with a golden broom, signifying humility before the divine, regardless of status.

Deities fall ill

Fifteen days before Rath Yatra, the deities are believed to fall ill after bathing with 108 pots of water during Snana Purnima. They rest during Anasara, a symbolic period of recuperation before the grand journey.

The main door of Jagannath Temple remains closed

The Singhadwara or the Lion's Gate of the temple remains closed due to the illness and provides a week of time for rest.

Jagannath refuses to move

According to people who have attended Rath Yatra in Puri, Lord Jagannath seems to refuse moving initially when the festivity begins, no matter how many hundreds of people push from behind and pull from the front.

Hera Panchami

Deity had a spat with his wife, Mahalaxmi, when he came out of the Jagannath temple. On the Fifth day of the Ratha Yatra, Mahalaxmi in the form of Subarna Mahalaxmi visits Gundicha Temple and warns Jagannath to return quickly.