Shree Jagannath Rath Yatra (Shree Jagannath Rath Yatra)
This Bharat Yatra is organized in the month of Ashadh. It is said that Lord goes to his aunt Gudicha’s house riding a chariot. This Rath Yatra is organized in Purushottam area spread over 5 kilometers. Lord stays at his aunt’s house for 8 days. The return journey is on Ashadh Shukla Dashami. Jagannath’s chariot is Nandighosha. Gajapati Maharaj of Puri walks sweeping with a golden broom.
Jagannath Temple is an ancient temple of Hindus and is situated on the coast of Puri, Orissa state, in the 7 holy cities. Jagannath Temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Orissa was known as Utkal Pradesh in ancient times. It was a famous port. From where trade was done in Indonesia, Thailand, Sumatra and Java etc. countries through this port. If we look into the Puranas, this land is known as Vaikunth. Purushottam Hari is considered to be the form of Lord Rama. It is believed that in the oldest Matsya Purana, it is written that Vimala is the goddess of Purushottam region and she is worshipped here. According to Uttarakhand of Ramayana, Lord Rama asked Ravana’s brother Vibhishan to worship Lord Shri Jagannath Ji, the family deity of his Ikshvaku dynasty. Even today, the tradition of Vibhishan Vandapana is maintained in the Sri Jagannath Temple of Puri. According to Skanda Purana, it was spread over an area of five kos i.e. 16 kilometers. It is said that around 2 kos has been submerged in the Bay of Bengal. Every year Jagannath Ji’s Rath Yatra is organized in Puri. Which is completed according to Hindu customs and traditions. When the Rath Yatra is held here, a large number of devotees come to participate in it. This Rath Yatra is being organized since ancient times which is continuing even today.
Miracles in Shri Jagannath Temple
1. There is a red flag installed on top of Shri Jagannath Temple. Which is always seen waving in the opposite direction of the wind. The surprising thing is that every day during Sai Kaal, a human changes the flag installed on top of the temple by walking upside down. Shiva’s moon is made on the flag.
2. Shri Jagannath Ji’s temple is spread over an area of 400000 square feet. Whose height is about 214 feet. The surprising thing is that the shadow or image of the main dome is not formed at any time of the day.
3. The Sudarshan Chakra installed on top of Shri Jagannath Temple can be seen from any place in Puri. Sudarshan Chakra will always seem to be in front of you. It is also called Neel Chakra. It is made of Ashtadhatu and is considered very sacred.
4. On most seashores, the wind blows from the sea towards the land, but in Puri the wind blows from the land towards the sea. This seems to be the opposite form of nature.
5. No bird is seen flying above or around the main dome of the temple. No aircraft can be flown above it, whereas birds sit on the domes of most temples in India, and are seen flying.
6. The world’s largest kitchen is established in the temple math of Jagannath Puri. It has about 500 kitchens, and food is cooked with the help of 300 assistants. About 20 lakh devotees can eat here. The amount of food to be cooked inside the temple is enough for the whole year. Not even a single grain of Prasad is ever wasted. All the food is cooked on wood. To cook the temple’s Prasad, 7 utensils are placed one above the other. According to this process, only the contents of the topmost vessel get cooked first. And this process continues downwards, one after the other is cooked. This process is no less than a miracle.
7. When you take the first step into the main gate of the temple, you will not hear the sound of the sea. If you want to experience it yourself, you will hear this sound when you take a step outside the temple. If you want to experience it yourself, you can experience it clearly in the evening.
8. Similarly, there is a Swargdwar outside the temple where dead bodies are burnt to attain salvation. But inside the temple, you will not feel the smell of burning dead bodies. But after coming out of the temple, you will start feeling the smell of burning dead bodies.
It is said that Lord Hanuman protects this temple from the sea. There is a famous story related to this that when Hanuman used to come to see Lord Jagannath, the sea also used to follow him to see Shri Jagannath. It is believed that the temple of Jagannath ji was destroyed thrice in the sea. Troubled by this habit of Kesari Nandan Hanuman ji, Jagannath Mahaprabhu tied Hanuman ji with a golden beedi and asked him to protect Jagannath Puri. Here in Jagannathpuri itself, on the sea shore, the ancient famous temple of Bedi Hanuman is established. Huge crowds of devotees come to this temple to have darshan of Lord Shri Hanuman ji.
