09-08-2006, 09:58 PM
A festival of dalits and tribals
- By Akshaya Kumar Sahoo
http://www.asianage.com/
[quote]
Puri (Orissa): The annual car festival or Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath offers a chance to thousands of devotees â especially the tribals, dalits and others irrespective of their caste, creed and colour â to touch, see and pray the deity directly, without any obstacles or help of the temple priests.
The annual festival begins on the second day of the bright fortnight of Aashada (June-July) and continues for nine days. On this day, Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra come out from their 12th century temple and ride to their aunt Gundicha's house, three kilometres away from the temple.
Every year, Lord Jagannath, considered to be the incarnation Vishnu in Kaliyug, travels to his aunt's house during the course of which tribals and Muslims are allowed to enter the temple to see the god from very close quarters. Devotees touch the deities when they come out in pahandis or royal processions to their respective chariots. During the pahandi devotees even snatch away flowers and other decorating articles from tahia (umbrella) of the deities with a belief that they (flowers and decorating articles) would bring happiness and prosperity to them.
Symbolically, the Rath Yatra is a journey from darkness to light and from ignorance to enlightenment. It commemorates the journey of Lord Krishna from Gokul to Mathhura. In this religious journey, Jagannath, Subhadra and Balbhadra are taken out in procession in three chariots. The main rath Nandigosh is 43-foot high, 33-foot wide and has 16 wheels. Lord Balabhadra's rath is called Taladvaja. It is 44-foot high and has 14 wheels. The fabric colour of the roof is red and green. Darpadalan is the chariot of Subhadra. It is 43-feet high with 12 wheels fitted into it. The fabric colour of the roof is red and black.
After the deities are installed on their respective chariots, the traditional Gajapati king of Puri sweeps the chariots with a golden broom. This menial service by the king is called Chhera Pahanra. After the Chhera Pahanra, comes the most exciting part of the yatra. The devotees pull the splendidly decorated chariots to the Gundicha temple. The deities stay in their aunt's house for a week. On Aashada Shukla Dasami or the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Aashada (June-July), the return journey or Bahudayatra of the deities commences in the same manner from Gundicha temple to the main temple like that of the Rath Yatra.
Before going in their original abode, the deities are dressed in golden attire on the chariots the next day. This occasion, called Sunabesha, is witnessed by thousands of devotees.
When two months of Aashada fall in one year, the Rath Yatra is observed as the festival of Nabakalebar. The old deities are buried within the temple premises (Koilibaikuntha) and are replaced by new deities, carved out of neem trees for which there are a set procedures.
Double Aashada occurs at intervals of eight and 19 years. As history records, Nabakalebar was held in 1996, 1977, 1969, 1950 and 1931 during this century. Apart from Puri, Rath Yatra is observed with equal fervour at Ahmedabad in Gujarat, New Delhi, Kolkata and Mahesh in Hoogly district of West Bengal as well as several other places in the country. In foreign countries like the UK, US and Australia, the non-resident Indians and Isckon followers observe the religious festival in a grand way.
However, the Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad stands next to the Puri festival in grandeur and crowd-pulling.
Sarat Kar, the former Speaker of the Orissa Legislative Assembly who is an eminent scholar of Jagannath culture, maintains that the yatra is the greatest of all Hindu festivals because of its ability to unite people in its festivity and for its universal character. "All people, rich and poor, Brahmins or Sudras, equally enjoy the fair and the joy they bring," he says. One will be surprised to know that even Muslims participate."
Muslims of Narayanpur, a village of about a thousand families in the Subarnapur district of Orissa, regularly take part in the festival, from building the chariots to pulling the rath.
Legend has it that once during the Rath Yatra, the chariot of Lord Jagannath did not move as Salabeg, a Muslim devotee.
who has composed hundreds of devotional songs dedicated to the deity, could not reach Puri because of exhaustion on the road.
Dasia Bauri, who belonged the scheduled caste community, was very endeared to Jagannath. The God, it is said, had happily accepted a coconut sent by Dasia in the hands of his friend.
Another legend says, Lord Jagannath was originally a tribal god. He was being worshipped in the name of Nilamadhab by a tribal chief named Biswabasu of Sabar community in a dense forest on the banks of river Mahanandi in present Nayagarh district.
The Orissa king Indradyuma, after being instructed in his dream by the God to bring Him to Puri, deputed his minister Vidyapati to the forest. Vidayapati accomplished the job successfully.
When the tribal chieftain knew that the God had shifted to Puri without his knowledge, he asked the deity why He wanted to desert him. The God consoled him and said He came to Puri for the welfare of the entire mankind.
Jagannath assured Biswabasu that during the nine-day festival, he would give a darshan to him and the people of his community as well as people of all hues and colour.
Since then the Rath Yatra has become a festival of common man.
[quote]
- By Akshaya Kumar Sahoo
http://www.asianage.com/
[quote]
Puri (Orissa): The annual car festival or Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath offers a chance to thousands of devotees â especially the tribals, dalits and others irrespective of their caste, creed and colour â to touch, see and pray the deity directly, without any obstacles or help of the temple priests.
The annual festival begins on the second day of the bright fortnight of Aashada (June-July) and continues for nine days. On this day, Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra come out from their 12th century temple and ride to their aunt Gundicha's house, three kilometres away from the temple.
Every year, Lord Jagannath, considered to be the incarnation Vishnu in Kaliyug, travels to his aunt's house during the course of which tribals and Muslims are allowed to enter the temple to see the god from very close quarters. Devotees touch the deities when they come out in pahandis or royal processions to their respective chariots. During the pahandi devotees even snatch away flowers and other decorating articles from tahia (umbrella) of the deities with a belief that they (flowers and decorating articles) would bring happiness and prosperity to them.
Symbolically, the Rath Yatra is a journey from darkness to light and from ignorance to enlightenment. It commemorates the journey of Lord Krishna from Gokul to Mathhura. In this religious journey, Jagannath, Subhadra and Balbhadra are taken out in procession in three chariots. The main rath Nandigosh is 43-foot high, 33-foot wide and has 16 wheels. Lord Balabhadra's rath is called Taladvaja. It is 44-foot high and has 14 wheels. The fabric colour of the roof is red and green. Darpadalan is the chariot of Subhadra. It is 43-feet high with 12 wheels fitted into it. The fabric colour of the roof is red and black.
After the deities are installed on their respective chariots, the traditional Gajapati king of Puri sweeps the chariots with a golden broom. This menial service by the king is called Chhera Pahanra. After the Chhera Pahanra, comes the most exciting part of the yatra. The devotees pull the splendidly decorated chariots to the Gundicha temple. The deities stay in their aunt's house for a week. On Aashada Shukla Dasami or the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Aashada (June-July), the return journey or Bahudayatra of the deities commences in the same manner from Gundicha temple to the main temple like that of the Rath Yatra.
Before going in their original abode, the deities are dressed in golden attire on the chariots the next day. This occasion, called Sunabesha, is witnessed by thousands of devotees.
When two months of Aashada fall in one year, the Rath Yatra is observed as the festival of Nabakalebar. The old deities are buried within the temple premises (Koilibaikuntha) and are replaced by new deities, carved out of neem trees for which there are a set procedures.
Double Aashada occurs at intervals of eight and 19 years. As history records, Nabakalebar was held in 1996, 1977, 1969, 1950 and 1931 during this century. Apart from Puri, Rath Yatra is observed with equal fervour at Ahmedabad in Gujarat, New Delhi, Kolkata and Mahesh in Hoogly district of West Bengal as well as several other places in the country. In foreign countries like the UK, US and Australia, the non-resident Indians and Isckon followers observe the religious festival in a grand way.
However, the Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad stands next to the Puri festival in grandeur and crowd-pulling.
Sarat Kar, the former Speaker of the Orissa Legislative Assembly who is an eminent scholar of Jagannath culture, maintains that the yatra is the greatest of all Hindu festivals because of its ability to unite people in its festivity and for its universal character. "All people, rich and poor, Brahmins or Sudras, equally enjoy the fair and the joy they bring," he says. One will be surprised to know that even Muslims participate."
Muslims of Narayanpur, a village of about a thousand families in the Subarnapur district of Orissa, regularly take part in the festival, from building the chariots to pulling the rath.
Legend has it that once during the Rath Yatra, the chariot of Lord Jagannath did not move as Salabeg, a Muslim devotee.
who has composed hundreds of devotional songs dedicated to the deity, could not reach Puri because of exhaustion on the road.
Dasia Bauri, who belonged the scheduled caste community, was very endeared to Jagannath. The God, it is said, had happily accepted a coconut sent by Dasia in the hands of his friend.
Another legend says, Lord Jagannath was originally a tribal god. He was being worshipped in the name of Nilamadhab by a tribal chief named Biswabasu of Sabar community in a dense forest on the banks of river Mahanandi in present Nayagarh district.
The Orissa king Indradyuma, after being instructed in his dream by the God to bring Him to Puri, deputed his minister Vidyapati to the forest. Vidayapati accomplished the job successfully.
When the tribal chieftain knew that the God had shifted to Puri without his knowledge, he asked the deity why He wanted to desert him. The God consoled him and said He came to Puri for the welfare of the entire mankind.
Jagannath assured Biswabasu that during the nine-day festival, he would give a darshan to him and the people of his community as well as people of all hues and colour.
Since then the Rath Yatra has become a festival of common man.
[quote]