The Festival of Chariots: Inside India’s Massive, Ancient Street Celebration
The Festival of Chariots: Inside India’s Massive, Ancient Street Celebration Imagine a street festival so massive that its central feature inspired the English word "juggernaut" —a force so huge and powerful that nothing can stop it. That festival is the Jagannath Rath Yatra (The Chariot Festival), and it is happening right now in the holy coastal city of Puri, Odisha, in eastern India. It is one of the world's oldest continuously celebrated festivals, drawing millions of people to a single street for a spectacular explosion of color, devotion, and sheer human energy. If you are looking at pictures of these towering wooden chariots today and wondering what it is all about, here is your quick guide to how and why it is celebrated. What is the Rath Yatra? In basic terms, it is a grand summer vacation for the gods. For the rest of the year, the deities— Lord Jagannath (a form of Lord Krishna/Vishnu), his older brother Balabhadra , and his younger sister Subhadra —stay...