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The Jagannath Rathyatra is a grand festival celebrated majorly in Odisha’s Puri and across the country. On Sunday, Mumbaikars also joined the celebrations of the chariot festival as devotees pulled the chariot of Lord Jagannath at different locations in Mumbai.
The Jagannath Rathyatra of Puri, which has also been cited in the Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita, is one of the largest chariot festival celebrated in Hinduism. According to the puranas, the festival marks the occasion when Lord Jagannath, who’s believed to be a form of Lord Vishnu, took on a trip around the city on a chariot and stayed at their aunt’s place for a week along with his brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra. Since then the festival is observed on the second day of the bright half of the Ashadh month in the Hindu calendar and devotees flood the street to pull the chariot with idols of the lord and his siblings.
The Utkal Khand in Skand Puran says that those who get the opportunity to pull the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra during the Rath Yatra, or even those who get the darshan of these deities during the procession, are assured of liberation and are freed from the cycle of birth and death.
Apart from Puri, the celebrations of this festival has grown significantly in different parts of the world. Similarly, Mumbai also celebrated the Jagannath Rathyatra on Sunday along with the entire country and multiple rathyatras were organised in different parts of the city. Hindu Utsav Samiti organised a grand Mumbai Chi Rathyatra in Ghatkopar (E) which was supported by various organisations including the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
The procession started from Neelyog Square at 12 pm and ended at Hanuman Temple in Chembur’s Tilak Nagar at 7 pm while passing through the lanes of Ghatkopar and Chembur. Around 20,000 devotees joined the rathyatra which also saw active participation from various communities, temples, ashrams and social groups. It also hosted various cultural performances, Bharatnatyam, martial arts with recitation of Sanskrit shlokas and subhashitas.
“The Hindu Utsav Samiti’s Rathayatra was more than just a festival; it was a celebration of community, unity, and devotion. It successfully showcased the collective spirit of the community, making it a memorable event for all who attended. The Rathayatra exemplified the power of tradition to bring people together and foster a sense of belonging and devotion,” said a member of the organising committee.
The Vallabhnidhi Haveli in Juhu of the Pushtimargi Vallabhacharya sect also organised a rathyatra darshan on Sunday where the followers of the sect, known as Vaishnavas, participated to worship a decorated chariot with idols of gods placed in it. After the early morning prayers, food was offered to the god thrice after which the fourth meal was offered with aarti.
