The Car Festival of Lord Jagannatha at Puri, popularly known as Rathayatra is a  festival of great importance for every Oriya as well as Hindus. It is  considered to be a great occasion as the Lord of the World; Jagannath accompanied by his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra comes out from his abode, the Bada Deula, i.e-  the great temple, to visit the house of  his aunt known as Gundicha Mandira. The three deities riding on three beautifully decorated big chariots make in short journey to their destination for a nine days trip. Therefore, this festival is popular as Ratha Yatra in India and Car Festival in the western world. The day on which this Yatra or journey is organized is celebrated in the name of Sri Gundicha. This is the only occasion when the lord himself comes out for his devotees, irrespective of their caste, colour and creed ,to see him and embrace him out of devotion. It is said that by getting a glimpse of lord on the chariot one’s sins are washed away and the person is liberated from the cycle of birth and death.

Actually, the rituals concerning this great Yatra starts with the day of Snana Purnima or the Ceremonial Bath of the deities on the full moon day of the month of Jyestha (May-June). After the Ceremonial Bath is over, the deities are retired to Anasaraghara or a closed room for fourteen days for treatment. During this period public view or Darshan is prohibited. After fourteen days and just on the previous day  of the Car Festival, the deities reappear for public views on the first day of the bright fortnight of Asadha (June-July). This occasion of reappearance of the deities is known as  Navajouvan Darshan. As such, the Rath Yatra is celebrated on the second day (Dwitiya) of the bright fortnight of Asadha.

On the day of the Yatra, the deities are brought from the temple in a grand procession by rhythmic movement called Pahandi Bije. After the deities are installed on their respective chariots the traditional divine king (Thakura Raja) of Orissa sweeps the chariots with a golden broom. This ritual is known as Cherra Pahanra. This ritual testifies that before the lord all are equal and the king is not an exception. The king of Orissa since the time of Chodagangadeva considered themselves the deputies and servants of the Lord Jagannath. So, on this sacred occasion, the tradition has been established in which the king alone is required to sweep the three chariots like an ordinary sweeper. This is a mark of overwhelming devotion to the lord. Not only this , from Snanapurnima to the end of the yatra, the entire rituals concerning the worship of the Lord are performed by the Daitapatis, who are said to be the descendant of the aboriginal clan of Savara.

The chariots by which the deities perform their journey to the Gundicha Temple are beautifully decorated having varied sizes. The chariot of Balabhadra, the elder of brother of Jagannath is called Taladhvaja having a height of 13.2 metre and 14 wheels. Its colour is red and green. Goddess Subhadra’s chariot is supported with 12 wheels and its height is 12.9 metre. It has 12 wheels and its colour is red and black and it is known as Devadalana. Lord Jagannath travels on his chariot called Nandighosa. So, this Rathayatra is also called Ghosayatra. The chariot is red and yellow in colour having a height of 13.5 feet. It has 16 wheels.

The most exciting part of the Rath Yatra is the pulling of chariots tied with the ropes by thousands of enthusiastic devotees to the Gundicha temple, which is barely three kilometre away from the main temple. On the 9th day of the bright fortnight of Asadha, the return journey of the deities begins in the same way as it is on the day of Rathayatra – the return journey is celebrated as Bahudayatra.

On the following day of the Bahuda Yatra, before entering their original abode, the deities are dressed in golden attire on the chariot. Lakhs of devotees congregate to have this mystic view, which is called as Sunabesa.

At present, the Rathayatra of Lord Jagannath is not only celebrated in a grand way in Puri alone, but it is being popularly celebrated all over the world. In Europe, America and even in communist country like Russia, the festival is observed with great enthusiasm by the masses. In several parts of India, including the national capital of Delhi, the festival is celebrated in a grand manner like Puri.