Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025: Start date, significance, the love for Lord Jagannath, & more

Just some more days and soon the roads of Puri will be filled with the chant of ‘Jai Jagannath’. A form of Lord Krishna, and the Supreme Lord for many Hindus around the world, Lord Jagannath is a deity worshipped around the world. His large round eyes, the smiling face, the fact that he is sculpted without hands and feet, and the likes, are what give him a unique, distinct look, and the smile on his face makes it look like he was awaiting your arrival, looking at you with his large eyes from a distance.
In the most basic terms, Jagannath means ‘Lord of the Universe’, and so with his big eyes and gaze that can look even at people far away, he takes care of everyone in the Universe.

The worship of Lord Jagannath is similar to how other Gods and Goddesses are worshipped by Hindus. The wooden idol of Lord Jagannath is replaced every 12 to 19 years in a sacred ritual called Nabakalebara, and careful selection is made of the trees with which the idol will be carved.
In the temples, devotees offer him simple food called Mahaprasad, cooked without onions or garlic, in earthen pots, and it is also served as prasad to thousands of devotees everyday.

There are many temples of Lord Jagannath across India, and the world, but the most famous one is the Jagannath temple in Puri, Orissa. And it is known not just for the idol of Lord Jagannath, but also of Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.
In Puri, only Hindus are allowed inside the temple premises, but during the Rath Yatra, the deities come out of the temple, and anyone can be in the presence of the Lord’s energy.

The Jagannath Rath Yatra, also known as the Chariot festival, is a massive annual procession in which the wooden idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are placed on three giant and very well decorated chariots (Rath), and are pulled on the streets of Puri, all the way to the Gundicha temple.
The devotees stay in the Gundicha temple for 7 days, and then return to the Jagannath temple.
The Yatra is for anywhere between 8-10 days, and people rejoice, dance, sing, etc, while trying to touch the chariot.

According to reports online, the Rath Yatra in 2025 will start on Friday, June 27, and will go on till July 5, 2025.
Before the Rath yatra begins, during the yatra, and when the Lord comes back, there are many different rituals, from Snana purnima to complete isolation, and priests and devotees follow it all wholeheartedly.

During the Rath Yatra, priests and devotees wake up early in the morning and the idols of the trio are carried out of the temple with drums, chants, music in the background, and more. Atleast 3-5 people hold the idols and slowly walk out of the temple.
The newly built chariots are then swept with a broom, and after Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are placed in their Rath, thousands of devotees hold on to the thick ropes and pull the idol towards Gundicha temple.

The Rath Yatra is not just about rituals, but also about play, devotion, love for Lord Jagannath, and a complete surrender to him. During the Yatra, caste, class, religion, or race don’t matter, and from the richest of people to people of another country and land can participate in the Yatra and try to touch or pull the chariot.
It is said that participating in the Rath yatra by pulling the ropes is a direct service to the Lord and helps remove sins done by mistake.
Rath yatra is also the time when the Gods themselves come out to meet their devotees, unlike how devotees usually go to temples to visit the Lord.