The Ratha Yatra, which is held in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, is a famous Hindu festival considered to be the third biggest Rath Yatra in the country after the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha and the one in Kolkata. The Ahmedabad Rath Yatra has been organized by the 400-year-old Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad on every Asadh-Sud-Bij since 1878. This annual festival celebrates Jagannath, Balrama and Subhdra. As per the Hindu calendar, the yatra is organised every year on Ashadhi Bij, which is the second day of Ashadh month. Jagannath Rath Yatra 2023 Wishes and Images: Jagannath Balabhadra Subhadra Photos, HD Wallpapers, Messages and Greetings To Share With Family and Friends.

Ahmedabad Rath Yatra 2023 Date

This year, the date of the Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad is June 20. It will be the 146th year of celebrations this year. The Ahmedabad Rath Yatra procession begins from the Jagannath temple in Jamalpur in Ahmedabad city and passes through a 14-km route.

Ahmedabad Rath Yatra 2023 History and Significance

The Ratha Yatra festival is also known as the Festival of Chariot—devotees of Lord Jagannath in Ahmedabad throng on the streets to join the possession. The celebrations are held with great fervour and gusto, with devotees offering their prayers to Lord Jagannatha. In Gujarat, Rath Yatra is also held in many cities and towns like Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Surat and Porbandar. Three small chariots with the idols of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balarama (Balabhadra) and sister Subhadra are pulled by the devotees through the cities, towns and villages of Gujarat with great devotion. Thousands of devotees throng the streets on the day to have a ‘darshan’ of the deities.

The Raths (chariots) are usually made from coconut trees by the devotees of the Khalas caste from Bharuch. People from that caste still drive the chariots. The Mangla Aarti is performed on the day at 4 am, and usually, Rath Yatra is carried out at 7 am. Ahead of the Rath Yatra, a symbolic ritual named ‘Pahind Vidhi’ is performed to clean the way for the chariots using a golden broom before the start of the Rath Yatra. After the ritual, the chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra embark on the annual yatra from the Jagannath temple in the Jamalpur area. In Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath's chariot is carried out first, followed by Subhadra and Balram's chariot. Akharas, elephants, decorated trucks and troupes also take part in 14-kilometre-long Rath Yatra.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2023 10:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).