Guṇḍicā Yātrā

The Guṇḍicā Yātrā is the greatest yearly festival of Puruṣottama Kṣetra, the holy land of Śrī Jagannātha (Purī in Odisha). It is also called the Ratha Yātrā (chariot festival) or the Mahāvedī Mahotsava. Jagannātha himself set it up, through a promise he made to King Indradyumna: “For nine days in Āṣāḍha, I will go to the Guṇḍicā Maṇḍapa and stay at the Indradyumna Sarovara.”

The festival has three separate chariots, one each for Jagannātha, his elder brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadrā. They travel to the Guṇḍicā Maṇḍapa near the Indradyumna Sarovara (lake), stay there for nine days and then come back in a return procession. The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa promises great blessings to those who take part: the chariot’s shadow destroys even brahma-hatyā (the pāpa of killing a brāhmaṇa), and its dust destroys all three kinds of pāpa.

How the Festival Began

The Guṇḍicā Yātrā was set up by Bhagavān Jagannātha’s own words. After Brahmā performed the pratiṣṭhā (installation) of the deities, Jagannātha spoke directly to Indradyumna and declared this festival as an eternal yearly event:

For nine days in Āṣāḍha, I will go to the Guṇḍicā Maṇḍapa and stay at the Indradyumna Sarovara. All tīrthas (holy bathing places) will be present there during those days.

At the Guṇḍicā Maṇḍapa, Svāmī (Jagannātha) said again: “I come here every year for these days.”

Festival Calendar

The festival follows the lunar calendar. Śukla means the bright half of the month, when the moon is growing.

The Three Chariots

Nārada Ṛṣi gave Indradyumna the full details for the three chariots:

The wood for the chariots is gathered through the vana-yāga on Vaiśākha Śukla Tṛtīyā, an early rite to obtain sacred timber for building them. The pratiṣṭhā (consecration) of the chariots themselves is a separate rite done before the procession begins.

The Guṇḍicā Maṇḍapa

The Guṇḍicā Maṇḍapa is Jagannātha’s temporary home during the nine-day festival. It stands near the Indradyumna Sarovara, the lake formed by King Indradyumna’s thousand Aśvamedha yajñas (great horse offerings). The yajña-bhūmi, the ground where those yajñas were performed, is said to be the sacred ground of the Guṇḍicā Maṇḍapa. During the nine days that Svāmī stays here, all tīrthas gather at this spot. Bathing in the Indradyumna Sarovara at this time is equal to bathing in every sacred water at once.

The Vana-Jāgaraṇa Vrata

While Svāmī stays at the Guṇḍicā Maṇḍapa, devotees keep the Vana-jāgaraṇa vrata. It is a seven-day vow of fasting, silence and constant pūjā in Svāmī’s presence at his temporary home. This vrata is the fullest way of taking part in the festival: staying close to Svāmī during his stay away from the temple.

Rites for the Ancestors at the Sarovara

The Purāṇa names the Indradyumna Sarovara as a blessed place for rites for the ancestors during the festival. A śrāddha (offering for the ancestors) done on Āṣāḍha Śukla Pañcamī (the 5th day of the bright half of Āṣāḍha) under the Maghā nakṣatra (lunar mansion), during the stay at Guṇḍicā, brings very great spiritual merit.

The Return Journey: The Sampūrṇa Yātrā

On the ninth day, Āṣāḍha Śukla Daśamī, the three chariots make the dakṣiṇābhimukha (south-facing) return journey back to the prāsāda (temple) on Nīlācala. This return completes the festival and is called the Sampūrṇa Yātrā, the “complete journey”. On the last day the Ratha-rakṣā vidhi, the rite of protecting the chariots, makes sure the great event ends safely.

Blessings of the Festival

The Purāṇa lists great spiritual rewards for taking part in the Guṇḍicā Yātrā:

• Seeing the Ratha Yātrā destroys the pāpa of one crore (ten million) lifetimes
• If the chariot’s shadow falls on a person, even brahma-hatyā is destroyed
• If the chariot’s dust touches a person, all three kinds of pāpa are destroyed
• Even a non-believer who looks at the chariot out of simple curiosity comes to have faith and reaches liberation

Sources

• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaiṣṇava Khaṇḍa, Puruṣottama Kṣetra Māhātmya, Chapters 25, 29, 33, 34 and 35