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Jagannath
Rath Yatra: ( June/July)
At
the temple town of Puri in Orissa, the image of the god Krishna
(known as Jagannath in that area) is taken out with great
ceremony in June-July each year.
Images
of the god and his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra are
placed in giant large yellow chariots or raths which are then
drawn by pilgrims. The chariots are as much as 45 feet high and
have 6 wheels. The procession or rath yatra draws huge crowds from
all over the country and from abroad. An atmosphere of almost
hysterical devotion prevails on this day and in earlier years,
devotees were known to have thrown themselves under the wheels of
the rath in the hope of obtaining instant salvation.
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