Happy RATHA YATRA - 2018 - Car Festival at Puri, Odisha, India

Happy RATHA YATRA - 2018 - Car Festival at Puri, Odisha, India

"Puri RATHA YATRA", the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Godess Subhadra from SriMandir to Mausima Temple is celebrated from 14th July - 23th July this year 2018 at Puri, Orissa situated on the south eastern coast of India.

The returning of Lords is named as "BAHUDA YATRA" going to be carry out on 22th July, 2018 and after that "SUNA BESHA" to be performed on 23th July 2018 with following "NILADRI BIJE" concludes the 9-days long celebration of RATHA YATRA - 2018.

Now days it's celebrated all over India and the world. Please visit personally to enjoy the festival or can watch this live at your TV.

Wish you all HAPPY RathaYatra - 2018

Happy RATHA YATRA - 2017 - Car Festival at Puri

Puri Ratha Yatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Godess Subhadra from SriMandir to Mausima Temple is going to be celebrated from 25th June - 4th July this year 2017 at Puri, Orissa situated on the south eastern coast of India.

Puri Ratha Yatra - 2017

Now days it's celebrated all over the world. Please visit personally to enjoy the festival or can watch this live at your TV.

Wish you all HAPPY RathaYatra - 2017

NilaMadhav Temple, Kantilo, Odisha, India

Sri NilaMadhav Temple is very old and famous Vishnu temple which is near to the bank of Mahanadi,in Kantilo. which is present near to the twin hills with a surrounding forests. A permanent flow of holy water from the feet of Lord Nilamadhav. Lord Siddheswar is also present which are the highlights of the place.

Lord NilaMadhav occupies a central position in the cult of Lord Jagannath.Even now also Lord Nilamadhava shrine is present on the right side of Lakshmi temple in Puri Jagannath Temple.

NilaMadhav Temple - Kantilo, Odisha, India

Kantilo is situated near the river bank of Mahanadi which comes in a block called Khandapada,in Nayagarh District.Nearest railway station is Khurda and nearest airport is Bhubaneshar.It is advisable that if you are planning to come by train its better get down at Bhubaneswar station because from there you will get frequent buses to Kantilo. Roads are connected to Kantilo which offer regular bus services.It is 73 k.m. away from state capital Bhubaneswar and only 33 k.m. away from Nayagarh District.

It all initiated in a small cave in the Brahmadri hills situated on the banks of Mahanadi, which is known as Kantilo of Nayagarh district today. Here, Biswabasu the local Sabara Chief worshipped Kitung, as the God was known in the Sabara dialect. According to the Puranas, the deity was originally worshipped in the form of an Indranila gem image known as “Nilamadhava". The daru murty came much later.Located near the confluence of three rivers Mahanadi, Kuanria and Kusumi the temple structure is like the Jagannath temple of Puri. It stands on the right bank of Mahanadi. It is called triveni sangam of Odisha. As there is Beni-Madhava in Prayag, so as here Nilamadhava.

Ratha Yarta 2016 - Jai Jagannath Puri

Ratha Yatra - 2016 at Puri, Odisha, India

Jagannath Ratha Yatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Godess Subhadra is going to be celebrated on 6th July - 15th July this year 2016 at Puri, Orissa, on the south eastern coast of India. Please visit personally to enjoy the festival or can watch this live at your TV.

Wish you all HAPPY RathaYatra - 2016

Car Festival or RATHA YATRA of Lord JAGANNATH, BALABHADRA and SUBHADRA…on 18th July 2015

Car Festival in English and Ratha Yatra in ODIA, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha is going to be celebrated on 18th July this year 2015 at Puri, the temple city in Orissa, on the south eastern coast of India. It's also is the Year of "NABA KALEBAR" means new renovated God will appear to people. The presiding deities of the main temple, Sri Mandira, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel Sudarshana are taken out from the temple precincts in an elaborate ritual procession to their respective chariots Nandighosh, Taladhwoj and Debadalan. The huge, colorfully decorated chariots, are drawn by hundreds and thousands of devotees on the BADA DANDA, the grand avenue to the Gundicha temple, called MAUSIMA temple- the birth place of Gods, some two miles away to the North. After a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode in Sri Mandira.

CAR FESTIVAL or RATHA YATRA of Puri, Odisha, India

Ratha Yatra is perhaps the grandest festival on India or even world. Everything is on a scale befitting the great Lord. Full of spectacle, drama and color, the festival is a typical Indian fair of huge proportions. It is also the living embodiment of the synthesis of the tribal, the folk, and the autochthonous with the classical, the elaborately formal and the sophisticated elements of the socio-cultural-religious ethos of the Indian civilization.

Significance of Ratha Yatra:

The festival is also known as Sri Gundicha Yatra, Ghosa Yatra, Navadina Yatra, Dasavatara Yatra and by a variety of similar names. For the devoted and believers, it is considered the most auspicious  occasion for Odia People.

Yatra is an essential part of the ritual of the Hinduism culture of worship. Yatra literally means travel or journey. Normally, it is the representative deities of temples more popularly known as Utsava Murti in south and Chalanti Pratima or Bije Pratima in Odisha, partake in these journeys. It is rarely that the presiding deities come out of the sanctum for such ritual journeys. The Yatra for the Ritual Journey take two forms – one involving the short circulation around the temple and other involving a longer journey from the temple to some other destination. The Yatra is considered as an important part of festivities and ceremonies of each temple and is considered as a special and sacred occasion all over the world where ODIAS present.

Rath Yatra being unique among all Yatras is the grandest festival of the supreme divinity who has manifested himself in the Kali Yuga to emancipate humanity and to relieve them from their sufferings. Lord Jagannatha is identified fully with Vishnu and Krishna. In his original manifestation as NilaMadhaba, he was worshipped in a sacred Nyagrodha Briksha or banyan tree. The branches of the tree had spread for several miles and anyone entering this area was instantly emancipated and was relieved of the travails of the birth and re-birth. In fact, the influence of Yama, the God of Death, is supposed to have been curtailed in the sacred city of Puri – Srikshetra on account of the presence of Lord Jagannatha and therefore it is also called the Yamanika Tirtha.

Please come and enjoy the RATHA YATRA on 18th July 2015 at Puri, Bhubaneswar all over Odisha, all over India and the World where ODIAs and Hindus are present, worship and get the divine wishes from the Lords of Universe. Please do not forget to share me your feeling after enjoying this auspicious car festival.
JAI  JAGANNATH !!!

About Odisha (Orissa) – The Place of Lord Jagannath

LORD JAGANNATH, SUBHADRA, BALABHADRA

Orissa now changed to “Odisha” is one of the richest cultured, naturally gifted state of India. It is popular around the world for its ancient Temples like Konark temple, Jagannath Temple at Puri and Lingaraj Temple situated in its capital Bhubaneswar, better known as “The Temple City of India”. It is the land of 62 tribes, including some of the most primitive ones, and is the third tribal concentration in India.

Its lush green countryside and fertile plains, tiny hamlets fringed with palm, coconut trees and mango groves offer the charm of rural beauty while the urban pockets, the four cities in particular, with the splendors of modern technology provide the amenities necessary for a comfortable stay.

This wonderful land of fascinating beauty boasts of colourful festivals round the year. Orissa is also the land of unique handicrafts and other excellent artifacts.

Orissa has a long tradition of art and architecture. The early monuments date back to the third century B.C. The remnant of an Ashokan pillar, turned into a Siva Lingam and enshrined in the Bhaskareswara temple at Bhubaneswar and the lion capital of an Ashokan pillar, presently in the State Museum, speak volumes of Orissa's past glory.

The rock-cut caves of Khandagiri and Udaygiri and the inscriptions recording Kharavela's short but eventful reign during the first century B.C. constitute the second phase of the evolution in Odian art. The Naga and Yaksha images found in places around Bhubaneswar belong to the post-Kharavela era. The fortification of Sisupalgarh near Bhubaneswar is yet another monument of ancient Orissa.

Orissa is also known for her exquisite handicrafts. Silver filigree work of Cuttack, horn work of Cuttack and Parlakhemundi and the famous applique work of Pipili deserve special mention. Pattachitra, a form of folk painting of Orissa, is a unique craft. Brass and bell metalware, particularly vases and candle stands, are beautiful and long lasting. 

The black stone bowls and plates of Nilagiri and Khiching and multi-colored stone statues are other attractions. Silk and cotton handloom products, especially saris are simply bewitching. The Sambalpuri Sarees and Maniabandhi Patas are matchless in their texture and designs.
Geographical Location:

Situated on the coast along the Bay of Bengal, Orissa stands for its ancient glory and modern endeavor. Endowed with nature's bounty, 300 miles (482 km) stretch of coastline with virgin beaches, serpentine rivers, mighty waterfalls, forest-clad blue hills of Eastern Ghats with rich wild life. In an area of 96,000 square miles (156,000 sq km) of peaceful and rural beauty, around 37 millions of people live.

Orissa is home to three mighty rivers (Mahanadi, Brahmani and Baitarani) and the largest brackish water Lake Chilika in Asia, to dozens of the most sacred places of pilgrimage in India, and to hundreds of thousands of small, traditional villages. Only four cities have more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, and Orissa's urban and rural populations’ like share a strong sense of the holiness of their beautiful land and of their enduring links with the past. Orissa is dotted with exquisite temples, historic monuments as well as pieces of modern engineering feat. The land, while retaining its pristine glory, also offers the visitors modern amenities.

Ancient History of Odisha:

“Kalinga” of the Mauryan age and “Utkala” of Mahabharata fame, and popularly known as “Odisha” today, boasts of splendid architecture and magnificent beaches.

Spread over a sprawling area of 1.55 lakh sq km, it lies in the tropical zones along the eastern seaboard of India. One can find an unmatched blend of rural tranquility with boisterous modern adroitness here. The scenic beauty of the place so much overpowers your spirit that the poet inside you is awakened.

The ancient state rose to prominence as a Kingdom under Kharavela, a great conqueror and patron of Jainism, in the second half of the 1st century B.C. Other great rulers belonged to the Keshari dynasty and the Eastern Ganga dynasty who were also great builders.

At one time the vast kingdom spanned from Ganga to Godavari. The flourishing maritime trade with South-East Asian countries i.e. Java, Bornio had brought in a golden era of affluence and opulence.

The Kalinga School of architecture flourished from the 7th to 13th century A.D. The most important monuments of this period can be seen in and around Bhubaneswar and Puri. The Mukteswar Temple is the finest piece of architecture of Kalinga. The Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar, the Jagannath Temple of Puri above all the world renowned world heritage Sun Temple at Konark is the epitome of temple architecture and sculpture. The construction of Konark Temple utilized 12 years of state revenue which can be compared to the mighty Moghul Empire, which also utilized its resources of 12 years for building world famous Taj Mahal.

JAGANNATH TEMPLE, PURI

It has also shown its military strength and prowess during Buxi Jagabandhu, period of the warrior of Khurda Paikas. The glories of Orissa ended in later half of 16th century. Two centuries later the British administered the final blows by dividing the original territory in to several administrative units.

The mention of Orissa dates back to 260 BC, the reign of Emperor Ashoka. While spreading the boundaries of his kingdom, the emperor reached the gates of the then Kalinga and invoked its king to fight or flee. In the absence of her father, the princess of the state took reins and fought bravely with the emperor. The war was a true massacre and the bloodshed that took place moved the emperor so much that his killing instinct was capsized. A warrior was thence transformed into a great apostle of Buddhism. Buddhism followed by Jainism held sway until after the reassertion of Hinduism in the state in 7th century AD.

The Odian culture and architecture flourished immensely under the rein of Keshari and Ganga Kings at Orissa. A number of masterpieces of that golden era still stand today as mute evidences to a glorious past.

In 1936, ultimately an independent state Orissa was constituted as a separate province by carving out certain portions from the provinces of Bihar, Orissa and Madras. As centuries rolled by, Orissa continued to invite heros, Scholars and prophets alike. Famous Kings like Samudra Gupta and Harsha Siladitya came to Orissa on political missions while scholars like Prajna and Hieuen-Tsang came to learn at centers of learning. Hieuen-Tsang, the famous Chinese pilgrim of the 7th century who visited Orissa was surprised to see the University of Puspagiri imparting knowledge to innumerable scholars now lying buried under Buddhist complex at Ratnagiri-Lalitgiri-Udayagiri.

KONARK TEMPLE

Various prophets visited Orissa; the significant among those visitors is the visit of Adi   Sankaracharya in 9th century to Puri to make it a center of his mission and a towering citadel of his spiritual ideology & message. He established four monasteries in four corners of Indian Peninsula out of which “The Gobardhan Pitha” of Puri was one of the most significant. Another Great Saint Ramanujacharya, the profounder of Visista Dwaita philosophy also visited Puri and established the Emar Matha. In the same century Jayadev composed his world famous lilting treatise “Gita Govinda”. Subsequently in 16th century Sri Chaitanya, the exponent of the Bhakti Cult came to Orissa and made Puri his abode for last 18 years of his life. His contemporary Pancha Sakha i.e. Sri Jagannath Das, Sri Achyutananda Das, Sri Balaram Das, Ananta & Yasobanta were spiritual stalwarts and literary luminaries of the time.

Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja, Kabi Surya Baladev Ratha, Radhanath Ray, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Pandit Gopabandhu Dash, Pandit Nilakantha Das, Godabaris Mishra, Kalandi Charan Panigrahi, Sachidananda Routray & many others have contributed substantially to the language & literature of Orissa.

Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das was the architect of Modern Orissa and subsequently Sri Nabakrushna Chowdhury, Dr. Harekrishna Mahatab, Sri Bijayananda Patnaik & others engineered their best efforts for catapulting Orissa to himalayan heights of fame & glory.

Dance and Cultures in Odisha
 
Mostly of Proto Australoid stock, many of the Orissa tribes are high land tribes with rich ethnological character and customs, varying language and dialects. The territory conscious different tribes have long been able to reject the mainland influence and have preserved their social customs, living style and theological values. 

The most primitive among them are Bondas, Gadabas, Koyas, Kondhas and the Sauras. Not much has changed in the lifestyle of the tribes since the day Elwin, the British anthropologist, visited the highlanders in 1943. The unique rituals, shamanism, sacrifices, housing pattern, wall paintings, handicrafts, etc., are still intact to be discovered by curious tourists like you.

The state presents a kaleidoscope of ancient splendor and contemporary expression with its old monuments built by Buddhist, Jain, Hindu and Muslim rulers. It has a glorious history spanning a period of more than 2000 years. It is a treasure land for exquisite temples, superb architecture, sculptors, inviting beaches, enchanting wildlife and natural lush green landscape.

Odia people share a strong sense of holiness, peace, and tranquility; a sense of belonging with their beautiful mountains, lakes, paddy fields; and their enduring links with the past and spirituality. People of different faiths such as Hindus (Shaivites, Vaishnavites), Jains, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians have lived in total harmony for centuries.

Odia, its main language, is one of the earliest languages of the Indo-European languages. It is closely related to Sanskrit and Pali language, language of Buddha. It has its own unique Oriya script.

In fact, Orissa has become a multi dimensional, multi colored, many splendoured, vibrant & boisterous modern state all set on its journey in the present millenniums to make its presence and voice felt in the nooks & crannies of the world through the Universal Cult of brotherhood, its unique cultural heritage, luxuriant forests & wild life, sprawling Chilika Lake, bountiful coastline, wide range of tribes & colourful canvass of art & culture.

Odisha has been resurgent again rejuvenating and resuscitating its ancient glory, glamour & greatness.