Ratha Yatra, the celebrated "Journey of Chariot" well known as the Grand Car Festival at Puri, has gained international fame today and the name of Lord Jagannath has reached far beyond thefrontiers of this vast country. Legions of spectators and devotees for several centuries have poured forth to Puri to witness and to participate in this grand festival. Year by year, armies of numberless religious enthusiasts from all over India, actuated by one burning desire to reach before the Ratha Yatra or the Car Festival.

The name of Lord Jagannath is to conjure with every sector of the Indian people, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. One can see in Ratha Yatra at Puri a great confluence of humanity, rich in diversity and unique in its all enveloping unity. Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath is a festival among festivals, splendidly colourful, and gorgeously spectacular.

The Car Festival(Ratha Yatra) of Lord Jagannath at Puri is the greatest festival of the year which is celebrated on the second day of the bright fortnight in the month of Asadha(June-July). After fifteen days of retirement in seclusion(Anavasar)the Lord favours His devotees with the long cherished DARSANA, and is taken to the huge chariot in a grand procession. The Car Festival draws an enormous crowd of spectators and devotees from every corner of India. For weeks before the Car Festival, pilgrims come trooping into Puri by thousands everyday. The whole district is in a ferment. By the time the Great Car has risen to the orthodox height of forty-five feet, the temple cooks make their calculation for feeding more than 2,00,000 mouths. The kitchen of the Lord verily justifies its title of the biggest hotel of the world.

The deities are taken in three separate well decorated wooden Cars-Balabhadra in one, Subhadra and Sudarsan in another and Jagannath in the third. The first car is called "TALADHWAJA", the second "DARPADALANA" and third "NANDIGHOSA". 

Balabhadra’s car the TALADHWAJA OF 14 massive wheels rises to the height 13.20 metres and is decorated with bright blue covers. Subhadra’s car, the PADMADHWAJA(also called TALADHWAJA) of 12 massive wheels rises to the height of 12.90 metres and is painted deep-red. Jagannath’s car, the GARUDADHWAJA (also called NANDIGHOSA) of 16 massive wheels is of 13.55 metres and is adorned with stripes of dazzling yellow. Each car is attached with four impetuous wooden horses supposed to drag the wheeled edifice under the control and direction of an imposing wooden image of the divine driver. The massive carts, the horses, the colours and every item of the chariots are imbued with deep significance. The deities arrive one after another in a right royal procession with deafening music and colourful display of ceremonial umbrellas and impressive antique accessories. The sight of devotees rolling on the ground in ecstasy of joy fills the place with extraordinary thrill.

As soon as the deities are installed in their respective chariots the time honoured CHHERAPAHANRA (Sweeping) ceremony begins amidst thundering cheers from the vast multitude gathered on and around "the grand road" of Puri. The Gajapati, whose ancestors once ruled Orissa, arrives with a golden broom stick to sweep the precincts of the deities giving ocular demonstration to the fact that the king as the head of the state is subservient to the deity that stands for the ideal of the people.

Then comes the most auspicious moment. Thousands of people seize the huge ropes and begin to pull the cars. The vast multitude shouts with one throat and surging backward and forward, drags, the wheeled edifice down the broad street towards the country houses of Lord Jagannath. Music strikes up before and behind, drums beat, cymbals clash, the priests harangue from the cars or shout a sort of fescennine medley enlivened with broad allusions and coarse gestures. And so the dense mass struggles forward by convulsive jerks, tugging and sweating, shouting and jumping, singing and praying.

Thus the cars move to the GUNDICHA MANDIR about a few kilometres from the temple of Jagannath. After a seven days at the Gundicha Mandir, the deities make their return journey. It is known as BAHUDA YATRA. On the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Asadha, the deities are adorned with gold-costume of resplendent jewellery while being in their chariots, which is called (SUNNA BESA). On the next day, deities are taken inside the temple of Jagannath in a befitting procession. Thus the Ratha Yatra, a nine days festival comes to a close.