What doesn’t God do for His devotees? He cares for His devotees; He takes their suffering upon Him; He comes out of the temple and visits them so that they can touch Him, feel Him, serve Him.
One such example is of Lord Jagannath’s ardent devotee Madhav Das, who would serve Lord Jagannath all by himself in the Jagannath temple of Puri, Odisha. Madhav Das used to live alone and serve the Lord. Whenever Madhav Das was alone, Lord Jagannath (the eternal Lord Vishnu Himself) would spend time with him and give him company. Once Madhav Das fell terminally ill, so the Lord Himself came to serve Him, so that Madhav Das won’t have to be born again to complete his karmic cycle to bear the fruits of his good deeds. The Lord took his devotee’s 15 days of suffering upon him and fell sick Himself. So, for 15 days the temple doors were closed. This was the time when the temple priests and His devotees would offer Him with fruit juices, porridge and Ayurvedic medicines. Since then, every year the temple doors would remain closed for these 15 days when the Lord becomes unwell. This is also the time, when the idols of Lord Jagannath, His brother Lord Balabhadra (Balaram) and His sister Goddess Subhadra are re-painted.
After 15 days, the Gods come out of the temple in all Their splendor, riding their chariots to visit Mausi Badi (Their Aunt’s temple) known as Gundicha temple. The Rath Yatra or car festival is held during the Hindu month of Asadha (June–July), attracting thousands of devotees and visitors each year. On their way in the chariots, they give an open darshan (view) to all Their Devotees. This is the time, when the devotees get a chance to pull their chariots using choir ropes tied in front of the vehicles. The devotees offer their seva (services) through various food offerings of their choice. They offer their performing arts, such as telengi baja (rhythmic beating of gongs), banati khela (acrobatics), nagarakirtan (public singing and dancing) including Gotipua, one of the oldest in the list of traditional dances.
Thousands of devotee flock to Puri every year to attend the Jagannath Rath Yatra. The centuries-old chariot procession is not only a religious ritual but also a display of the Jagannath consciousness that has long enriched the cultural heritage of Odisha.
The Rath Yatra festival is celebrated in Jagannatha temples across India, South East Asia and various parts of the world.
Photographer: G.-U. Tolkiehn
Image source in: wikipedia. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rath_Yatra_Puri_07-11027.jpg#mw-jump-to-license
