Ratha Yatra

Rath Yatra (/ˈrʌθə ˈjɑːtrə/), (transl. Chariot Festival or Car Festival), is any public procession in a chariot. They are held annually during festivals in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The term also refers to the popular annual Ratha Yatra of Puri that involves a public procession with a chariot with deities Jagannath (Vishnu avatar), Balabhadra (his brother), Subhadra (his sister), and Sudarshana Chakra (his weapon) on a ratha, which is a wooden deula-shaped chariot.

Ratha Yatra processions have been historically common in Vishnu-related traditions of Hinduism—such as those dedicated to Jagannath, Rama, and Krishna—across India, particularly in the city of Puri in the state of Odisha, as well as in Shiva-related traditions, in honor of saints and goddesses in Nepal, with Tirthankaras in Jainism, and among tribal folk religions in the eastern states of India. Notable Ratha Yatras in India include the Ratha Yatra of Puri, the Dhamrai Ratha Yatra in Bangladesh and the Ratha Yatra of Mahesh. Hindu communities outside India, such as in Singapore, celebrate Ratha Yatra such as those associated with Jagannath, Krishna, Shiva and Mariamman. According to Knut Jacobsen, a Ratha Yatra has religious origins and meaning, but the events have a major community heritage, social sharing and cultural significance to the organizers and participants.

Western impressions of the Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Puri as a display of unstoppable force are the origin of the English word juggernaut.