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The Juggernaut Jagannath !!




Every year, the devotees from all over the world visit the 400 year Jagannath temple in Odisha. Here the pulling of the chariot heralds the beginning of the the renowned rath yatra. Lord Jagannath begins his journey with his elder brother,(Lord Balabhadra) and sister (Devi subhadra) from their abode, Shreemandir to Gundicha Temple.The three deities, who sit on the bejeweled throne known as the Ratnabedi, go on an annual vacation to their parental place. There is a ritual named the Pahindi Vidhi in which the idols of the gods are swayed rhythmically and hoisted majestically in the air by pandits. Here as the idols are brought outside in a queue,the devotees get a chance to participate in the 1.4 km long yatra. The procession of Lord Balabhadra is pulled first as he is the eldest and hence leads the brigade. While Lord Jagannath(being the small brother)'s chariot is pulled the last. Between the two is Subhadra Devi's chariot. Metaphorically, the sister moves well protected between the two brothers. 

Another interesting fact of this Rath Yatra is the colour of the idols. Balabhadra is white, Jagannath is black and Subhadra is yellow. These are symbolic of the prominent races of the world. Lord Jagannath, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, known to be moving the cycle of conservation. He monitors creation, protection and destruction. All these processes contribute to the transient theory of life.   
As Narendra Modi inaugurated the 135th Yatra this year, he prayed at Lord's feet for the progress and prosperity of his state.

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