Published by: Vivek Dubey
The Rath Yatra is a grand festival that celebrates the journey of Lord Jagannath & his siblings from their temple to their aunt’s house. The highlight of the festival is the 3 magnificent chariots that carry the deities on their wooden thrones.
The chariot of Lord Jagannath is called NANDIGHOSHA. It has a flag named TRAILOKYAMOHINI, which means “the one who enchants the three worlds”.
It has 16 wheels and is guarded by GARUDA, the eagle-like mount of Lord Vishnu. The charioteer is DARUKA, who was also the driver of Lord Krishna’s chariot.
The four white horses are SHANKHA, BALAHAKA, SUWETA and HARIDASHWA. The rope that pulls the chariot is SANKHACHUDA NAGINI, a snake-like creature.
The deity who accompanies Lord Jagannath is MADANMOHAN, a form of Lord Krishna.
The chariot of Lord Balabhadra is called TALADHWAJA. It has a flag named UNNANI, which means “the one who grants prosperity”.
It has 14 wheels and is guarded by VASUDEVA, another name of Lord Krishna. The charioteer is MATALI, who was also the driver of Lord Indra’s chariot.
The four black horses are TRIBRA, GHORA, DIRGHASHARMA and SWORNANAVA. The rope that pulls the chariot is BASUKI NAGA, another snake-like creature.
The deity who accompanies Lord Balabhadra is RAMAKRISHNA, another form of Lord Krishna.
The chariot of Goddess Subhadra is called DARPADALANA. It has a flag named NADAMBIKA, which means “the one who gives joy”.
It has 12 wheels and is guarded by JAYADURGA, a form of Goddess Durga. The charioteer is ARJUNA, the hero of the Mahabharata and the brother of Lord Krishna.
The four red horses are ROCHIKA, MOCHIKA, JITA and APARAJITA. The rope that pulls the chariot is SWARNACHUDA NAGINI, another snake-like creature.
The deity who accompanies Goddess Subhadra is SUDARSHANA, the disc-like weapon of Lord Vishnu.
44’2" high and 34’6" long and wide
43’ 3" high and 33’ long and wide
42’ 3" high and 31’6" long and wide