Service offerings Jagannath temple employs different kinds of
sevakas who offer their services on the Ratha. • Suara • Mahasuara • Dahuka: Ratha
dahuka boli (, also "Dahuka gita" (ଡାହୁକ ଗୀତ)) which are poetic recitations. Ratha Yatra being a symbolic expression of
fertility and
Life cycle, these "boli" sung by the Dahuka contain bawdy songs. It is believed that unless the Dahuka boli is sung 'Ratha' does not move. These songs are sung publicly without any kind of hold on the lyrics. Dahuka controls the movement of Ratha during the festival. • Daita pati • Puspalaka • Banati Players:
Banati is an age-old art, in which a person spins balls set on fire and tied to the ends of a rope. Every year during the Rath yatra devotees perform "Banati" to appease Jagannath. Knives and fireballs, which are attached to the Banati add colour to the procession of the deity as it reaches its destination
Hera Panchami Hera Panchami is a ritual observed during the period of Rath Yatra in the
Grand Jagannath Temple of Puri. It is known as a ritual of Goddess
Lakshmi. The fifth day from Rath Yatra, i.e., the fifth day in bright fortnight of
Ashadha is known as the Hera Panchami. During Ratha Yatra, lord
Jagannath comes out on a divine outing with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra along with his divine weapon Sudarshana, leaving behind His wife Mahalaxmi. The Goddess expresses her anger for the deity. She proceeds to the
Gundicha Temple, the Adapa Mandapa in a palanquin in the form of a Subarna Mahalaxmi and threatens Him to come back to the temple at the earliest. To please her, the deity concedes to her by offering her (a garland of consent). Seeing the Goddess furious, the sevakas close the main door of the Gundicha. Mahalaxmi returns to the main temple through the Nakachana gate. In a unique ritual, the Goddess orders one of her attendants to damage a part of the Nandighosa chariot. This is followed by her hiding behind a tamarind tree outside the Gundicha Temple. After some time, she escapes to her home temple in secrecy, through a separate path way known as Hera Gohri Lane The unique ritual is enjoyed by lakhs of devotees of Jagannath. The rituals of Hera Panchami as an important function of Srimandira finds mention in
Skanda Purana. According to the history of the Temple, this "utsav" started during the time of Maharaja Kapilendra Deb. Before his reign, the Hera Panchami function was being observed in a symbolic way with recitation of Mantras. As stated in
Madala Panji, Raja Kapilendra Deb substituted this practice with the introduction of an idol of Mahalaxmi made of gold and making the celebration more realistic.
Chandana Yatra The
Chandan yatra or "Sandalwood Festival" is a 42-day period that marks the beginning of construction work for the chariots. The period is divided in half, consisting of 21 days each. The first half is known as
Bahar chandan, whereby the representative images of the presiding deities are taken out in colorful processions and given a ceremonial boat ride in the Narendra tank every day. These deities include Madan Mohan (Jagannath), Rama-Krishna, Lakshmi, Saraswati and the Pancha Pandava - the presiding deities of the five main Shiva temples. The latter, known as
Bhitar chandan, consists of various rituals not open to the public. The construction of the chariots starts on Akshaya Tritiya, the third day of the bright fortnight of Vaisakha, with ritual fire worship. This takes place in front of the palace of the King of Puri and opposite the main office of the Puri temple. Later the deities have a ritual bath in a small temple in the middle of the tank, in stone tubs filled with water, sandalwood paste, scents, and flowers. This sandalwood festival culminates in the
Snana Yatra or "Bathing Festival" which takes place on the full moon day of the month of Jyeshtha. The deities, Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subhadra are bathed with 108 pots of water and then remain in symbolic and ritual convalescence for about two weeks. They are barred from the view of the public. Only three special patta chitras, traditional Oriya paintings of natural colors on cloth stiffened with starch, known as Anasara Pattis, are strung on a bamboo screen hiding the deities from public view, can be seen by the public. During this period, the deities are given only roots, leaves, berries and fruits to cure them of their indisposition. This ritual is a reminder of the strong tribal elements in the genesis and evolution of the Jagannatha cult. The progeny of Lalita, daughter of the original tribal worshipper Biswabasu, chieftain of hunters, and the Brahmin priest Vidyapati, are known as daitapatis or daitas. They have the almost exclusive privilege of serving the deityduring the convalescence and through the entire period of Ratha Jatra or the Festival of Chariots.
Suna Besha After the chariots of the deities return to the main temple from the Gundicha temple, the deities are attired in gold ornaments and worshipped on the chariots. This celebration is known as
Suna Besha. Tradition maintains that this event was first started by King
Kapilendra Deva in 1460, when after returning victorious from war he donated gold to
Jagannath. The deities are adorned with gold jewelry weighing nearly 208 kg. In 2014 nearly nine hundred thousand devotees witnessed this event held on 9 July.
The Ratha Yatra and Pahandi of 2015 In 2015 on the occasion of Rath Yatra, lakhs of devotees thronged the coastal town of Puri to catch a glimpse of the deities
re-embodied after 19 years on chariots. This was the largest-ever religious congregation in Odisha. == Rath Yatra of 2025 ==