Every year on the Shukla Paksha Dwitiya Tithi of the month of Ashadh, the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is taken out in Puri, Odisha. In which the chariot of Lord Jagannath, along with his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Goddess Subhadra, is included. Lord Jagannath's chariot is 45 feet high and 35 feet long and the same width, while the chariot of Balabhadra ji is 44 feet, and Subhadra's is 43 feet high. Lord Jagannath's chariot has 16 wheels, Lord Balabhadra's has 14 and Subhadra's chariot has 12 wheels. These chariots are made new every year. Devotees from every corner of the country come to participate in this Rath Yatra because the idols of this temple are taken out of the temple once a year.
Snana Purnima Festival
Today, June 11, 2025, is the annual Snana Purnima festival in Puri, Odisha. By temple custom, 108 pots of sacred water from the temple complex's golden well are used to bathe the three goddesses. Devotees can see the gods united in full public view on the Snana Mandap (bathing platform) on this one day of the year.
The deities are said to become unwell after the ceremonial bath and will be hidden from the public for roughly 15 days. The celestial figures are said to recuperate and repose during this time, known as Anasara, before making their reappearance for the Rath Yatra.
Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025 (9-day schedule)
The Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025 will begin on June 27 and continue until July 5. The nine-day festival includes several key rituals, beginning with Snana Purnima and ending with the return of the deities to the main temple. This year, the Dwitiya Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashadha will begin at 1:25 PM on June 26 and end at 11:19 AM on June 27. Based on this timing, the chariot festival — considered one of the largest religious gatherings in the world — will take place on June 27.
Mythological beliefs of Jagannath Rath Yatra
There are many mythological stories related to this Yatra. Once Goddess Subhadra expressed her wish to visit the city to Lord Jagannath, then the Lord, along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, sat on the chariot and visited the city. During this journey, he also visited his aunt Gundicha Devi's house and rested there for 7 days. It is said that Lord Jagannath's visit to his aunt's house later became famous as Rath Yatra.