Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya • June–July

Rath Yatra: the day Jagannath comes out to the street

Name: Rath Yatra
Start: 2027-07-05
End: 2027-07-05
Location: India

When God comes out to meet the people

Rath Yatra is the chariot festival of Jagannath: on the second lunar day of the bright half of Ashadha, Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra leave the temple in Puri on three wooden chariots built new each year and are hauled by thousands of hands to the Gundicha temple. In 2027 it falls on Monday 5 July. The Puri temple admits only Hindus, so this is the day anyone, of any faith, can see the deities and take hold of a rope.

Countdown5 July 2027

When5 July 2027

The Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath: wooden chariots more than 13 metres tall, pulled by devotees

The second lunar day of the bright half of Ashadha. The Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration's festive calendar (out around April) and the Odisha holiday list confirm it.

The legend

🪵

Legend says King Indradyumna finds a sacred tree floating in the sea, and from it the images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are to be carved.

🔨

Vishnu himself comes disguised as a carpenter, on one condition: the door stays shut until he is done.

🚪

After two weeks the workshop falls silent. The queen fears the craftsman is dead and persuades the king to open the door.

👁️

The carpenter vanishes, leaving the gods unfinished: no hands or feet, huge round eyes. That is how they are worshipped.

And once a year the gods ride out to the people: at Rath Yatra they travel by chariot to visit the Gundicha temple.

Meaning

Puri

The chariots are hauled along the grand avenue, Bada Danda, nearly three kilometres to the Gundicha temple, and back a week later.

Everyone

On this day the gods come out into the street, and anyone, of any faith, can see them and pull a chariot rope.

Worldwide

Since 1968, through ISKCON, Jagannath's chariots have rolled through the streets of major cities worldwide.

Customs

🪚 New chariots

All three chariots are built anew each year from wood of specified trees, starting on Akshaya Tritiya.

🧹 Chhera Pahanra

Before the procession the king of Puri sweeps the chariots with a golden-handled broom: all are equal before God.

🤒 Anasara

After their great bath, Snana Purnima, the gods are believed to fall ill for two weeks: they get herbal care, and people pray before painted cloths.

😠 Hera Panchami

On the fifth day Lakshmi, left behind, comes to Gundicha in a huff, has part of Jagannath's chariot damaged and hides behind a tamarind tree.

👑 Suna Besha

Back from Gundicha, the gods stand on their chariots dressed in gold: nearly 208 kilograms of ornaments.

What people eat

🥞 Podo pitha

a baked cake said to be Jagannath's favourite

🍡 Rasagola

cheese balls in syrup, offered at the Puri temple

Words of the festival

ରଥଯାତ୍ରା

Ratha Yatra

"the chariot journey"

ବଡ଼ଦାଣ୍ଡ

Bada Danda

"the grand avenue" from the temple to Gundicha

ଚକା ଆଖି

chaka akhi

"round eyes", a fond name for Jagannath

ମହାପ୍ରସାଦ

mahaprasad

food from the temple kitchen, blessed by the gods

ନବକଳେବର

Nabakalebara

"new body": every 8 to 19 years, most often 12 or 19, the gods are carved anew

How to greet

ଜୟ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ

Jai Jagannath!

"Glory to Jagannath": Odisha's hello and good wish, heard most of all at Rath Yatra.

True or myth

The English word juggernaut comes from Jagannath.

✅ True. The British rendered the god's name as juggernaut, and tales of the Puri procession made it mean an unstoppable force.

The flag atop the Jagannath temple is changed every day.

✅ True. By custom a different flag is raised over the Nila Chakra disc each day.

Jagannath's image is carved from stone.

❌ Myth. They are wooden, cut from neem, and are carved afresh every 8 to 19 years, most often after 12 or 19.

Where to celebrate

Mayapur ⭐

The chariots are pulled five kilometres of country road from the Rajapur Jagannath temple to the Mayapur campus, and the deities then hold court there for a week.

Vrindavan

Vrindavan keeps Rath Yatra at several temples at once: chariots roll through the old lanes to the Jagannath temple at Gyan Gudri, and ISKCON celebrates with kirtan and a chariot of its own.

Details →

Kolkata

Kolkata has pulled the chariots since 1972, six kilometres down Chowringhee to the Brigade Parade Ground, where the deities then hold a week-long mela.

Mumbai

ISKCON Juhu pulls the chariots the length of the Andheri to Juhu corridor on a chosen Saturday, with published times and a published route.

What happens in Puri

Rath Yatra is one day inside a month-long cycle. It begins on Snana Purnima, the bathing full moon of Jyeshtha, when the deities are bathed in public. After the great bath they are believed to fall ill and are kept out of view for about two weeks, the Anasara, receiving herbal care while devotees pray before painted cloths.

Then comes the chariot day. The three chariots, built afresh each year from wood of specified trees with work starting on Akshaya Tritiya, stand on the Bada Danda, the grand avenue. Jagannath’s, the Nandighosha, is about 14 metres tall on 16 wheels. The deities are carried out in a swaying procession, and the king of Puri sweeps the chariot decks with a golden-handled broom, the Chhera Pahanra: before God even the king is a servant. Then the ropes are taken up. The chariots move in jerks to the creak of wheels and the roar of the crowd, and the nearly three kilometres to Gundicha can take all day.

The deities stay at Gundicha for a week. On the fifth day, Hera Panchami, the goddess Lakshmi, left behind, comes in a huff and has part of Jagannath’s chariot damaged. After the return journey the deities stand on their chariots in gold, nearly 208 kg of ornaments, the Suna Besha, and the cycle closes with Niladri Bije, their re-entry into the temple.

Where to see a Rath Yatra

Puri is the original. Since 1968 ISKCON has taken Jagannath’s chariots to cities worldwide, and some Indian ones now run on a huge scale; not all of them keep Puri’s date.

Puri, Odisha

The full cycle and the biggest crowd: more than a million pilgrims. Rooms go about six months ahead. Watching from a rooftop or balcony along the Bada Danda, arranged in advance, keeps you above the press.

Kolkata

ISKCON has pulled chariots here since 1972: from the temple on Albert Road near Minto Park at about noon, six kilometres down Chowringhee to the Brigade Parade Ground, where the Jagannath Mahamela runs for a week. ISKCON expected 2.3–2.4 million people in 2024. Stay around Park Street or Esplanade, book about six weeks ahead and use the Metro when the roads close.

Mayapur, West Bengal

The chariots are pulled five kilometres of country road from the Rajapur Jagannath temple to the ISKCON campus, where the deities hold court for a week. Arrive the day before, for Gundica Marjana, the ceremonial cleaning; the start time is not published in advance. Campus guesthouses are booked directly with ISKCON Mayapur, about six weeks ahead.

Mumbai

ISKCON Juhu pulls the chariots from Andheri West to Juhu on a Saturday it sets separately from Puri’s date: 18 July in 2026, two days after Puri. The procession is inaugurated at 11:30; New Link Road, Lokhandwala and the Juhu Versova Link Road are free places to watch.

Vrindavan

Several temples at once: chariots through the old lanes to the Jagannath temple at Gyan Gudri, and kirtan with a chariot of its own at ISKCON’s Krishna Balaram Mandir. A smaller, easier Rath Yatra for a first time. Details: [Rath Yatra in Vrindavan](/en/festivals/rath-yatra/vrindavan/).

✅ Etiquette and safety

Pulling a rope is open to everyone, and it is the crowd, not the ritual, that needs care.

Keep clear of the wheels — The chariots lurch forward without warning. Stay on the rope or well to the side, never in front of a wheel, and do not let the crowd push you towards it.
Heat and rain — June and July in Odisha are peak heat and humidity, often with monsoon showers. Carry water, a hat and sunscreen.
Mahaprasad — Mahaprasad is food from the Puri temple kitchen, blessed by the deities; it is offered and shared with respect, taken with the right hand.
At ISKCON campuses — Dress covering shoulders and knees, especially at Mayapur.

The story of the unfinished images

Jagannath’s round eyes and missing hands are explained by a legend. King Indradyumna finds a sacred log floating in the sea, from which the images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are to be carved. Vishnu himself, the story goes, comes disguised as a carpenter on one condition: the workshop door stays shut until he is done. After two weeks of silence the queen fears he is dead and persuades the king to open it. The carpenter vanishes and leaves the gods unfinished, without hands or feet, with huge round eyes, and that is how they are worshipped. More on the deity: [Jagannath](/en/deities/jagannath/).

The images are wooden, cut from neem, and are carved anew in the Nabakalebara (“new body”) every 8 to 19 years, most often after 12 or 19. The English word juggernaut comes from Jagannath: British accounts of the Puri procession turned the god’s name into a word for an unstoppable force.

❓ FAQ

When is Rath Yatra in 2027?

Monday 5 July 2027 in Puri, on the central government restricted-holiday list. In 2026 it was on 16 July, and in 2028 it is expected on 24 June. ISKCON Juhu in Mumbai sets its own Saturday.

Why is Rath Yatra celebrated?

Once a year, by tradition, Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra ride out to the people and travel by chariot to visit the Gundicha temple. Pulling the chariot rope is held to be a blessing.

Can non-Hindus attend Rath Yatra in Puri?

Yes. The temple itself admits only Hindus all year, but on Rath Yatra the deities are on the open street and anyone can see them and pull a rope.

Is Jagannath not seen for 14 days before Rath Yatra?

Yes, roughly. After Snana Purnima the deities are believed to fall ill and are kept out of view for about two weeks, the Anasara, while devotees pray before painted cloths.

What happens every 12 years in Puri?

The Nabakalebara, when new wooden images of the deities are carved. It comes every 8 to 19 years, most often after 12 or 19.

What food is linked to Rath Yatra?

Mahaprasad from the Puri temple kitchen, podo pitha, a baked cake said to be Jagannath’s favourite, and rasagola, cheese balls in syrup offered at the temple.

Sources (9)

Festival calendar in the app Open

2026	16 July 2026
2027	5 July 2027
2028	24 June 2028
2029	13 July 2029
2030	2 July 2030