India GO
Rath Yatra in Mayapur: chariots from Rajapur to ISKCON
When God comes out to meet the people
Mayapur’s Rath Yatra is ISKCON’s own, at its world headquarters in Nadia district. Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra are taken from the Rajapur Jagannath temple and pulled on three chariots about five kilometres of country road to the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, where they stay for a week. It keeps the lunar date of Puri’s Rath Yatra, next on 5 July 2027. There is no ticket, and anyone on the road can take a rope.
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.
Where to watch
Rajapur Jagannath Temple: the ISKCON Jagannath temple at Rajapur, near Mayapur, where the chariots are loaded and the procession begins. No ticket.
Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir (ISKCON Mayapur): ISKCON's global headquarters and the destination of the chariots; the deities stay here through the Gundica festival. No ticket; dress covering shoulders and knees.
Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP): the large temple under construction on the same campus. Its Nrsimha wing opened in March 2024, and the grand opening is announced for 1 November 2027, a date that has moved before.
Free viewing
- Anywhere along the Rajapur to Mayapur road, which is the whole of the route
- The approach to the Chandrodaya Mandir, where the chariots arrive
Programme
Gundica Marjana
Gundica Marjana: the ceremonial cleaning of the hall that will receive the deities, done by hand by the devotees.
ISKCON Mayapur campus
The chariot procession
Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra are taken from the Rajapur Jagannath temple and placed on three chariots, which devotees then pull to the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, roughly five kilometres away, with sankirtan, drums, karatalas and dance the whole way.
Rajapur Jagannath Temple to ISKCON Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, Nadia district, West Bengal
The chariot procession
There is no ticket. Pulling the ropes is open to whoever is on the road.
The procession route
Gundica festival
The Gundica festival: daily offerings and darshan while the deities stay on the Mayapur campus, before the Ulta Ratha takes them back to Rajapur.
ISKCON Mayapur
The days of the festival
Rath Yatra in Mayapur is a sequence of about ten days rather than one procession. The meaning of the chariots and the Puri original are on the Rath Yatra page.
- The day before: Gundica Marjana
Devotees clean by hand the hall that will receive the deities. It is the reason to arrive a day early: you see the cleaning and are in place for the procession, whose start time is not published in advance.
- Procession day
The three chariots, named Taladhvaja for Baladeva, Devadalana for Subhadra and Nandighosa for Jagannath, are loaded at Rajapur and pulled to the Chandrodaya Mandir with sankirtan (congregational chanting), drums, cymbals and dance the whole way. Along the route the deities are showered with flowers and offered fruit and sweets such as payasam and khaja, and prasadam is handed out on the road.
- The Gundica week
The deities stay on the Mayapur campus with daily offerings and darshan. This is the calmer time to see them, close to the guesthouses.
- Ulta Ratha
The return procession takes Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra back to Rajapur and closes the festival.
Where to join the procession
The whole Rajapur to Mayapur road is the route, so there is no single best spot. To walk with the chariots from the start, be at the Rajapur Jagannath temple when they are loaded; to see the arrival, wait on the approach to the Chandrodaya Mandir, a short walk from the campus guesthouses. In ISKCON’s tradition pulling a chariot rope is held to be a blessing, and it is open to anyone. Keep to the rope or to the side of the road, never in front of a wheel: the chariots lurch forward without warning.
On the same campus stands the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, still under construction. For the main temple and its daily programme see ISKCON Mayapur, and for food, prasadam in Mayapur.
Getting there, staying, weather
June and July are early monsoon in Nadia: about 33–35°C by day, humid, with around 9 to 13 rainy days a month.
- From Kolkata — Suburban and intercity trains on the Katwa line run from Howrah to Nabadwip Dham in about two to three hours, then the river crossing to Mayapur. In the monsoon the crossing can be restricted. Details: how to get to Mayapur.
- Stay on the campus — ISKCON Mayapur’s guesthouses are a short walk from the Chandrodaya Mandir and are booked directly with ISKCON; about six weeks ahead is comfortable. Private guesthouses line the road outside, and Nabadwip, across the river, has more rooms. See where to stay in Mayapur.
- Dress — Clothes covering shoulders and knees on the campus and in the temples; shoes off inside.
- Water and rain — A long walk in heat and humidity: carry water, a hat and something for the showers.
Other Rath Yatras in Bengal
On the same day ISKCON pulls chariots down Chowringhee in Kolkata, and Serampore near Kolkata holds the old Rath Yatra of Mahesh. The original is in Puri: Rath Yatra of Puri.
FAQ
When is Rath Yatra in Mayapur?
On the lunar date of Puri’s Rath Yatra, next on 5 July 2027. Gundica Marjana is the day before, and the Ulta Ratha return comes about a week later.
What is the route?
About five kilometres of country road, from the Rajapur Jagannath temple to the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir on the ISKCON campus.
Is there an entry fee, and can anyone pull the chariot?
There is no ticket, and the ropes are open to whoever is on the road.
Can I visit Mayapur in one day for Rath Yatra?
It is possible from Kolkata, but two or three nights are better: arrive for Gundica Marjana the day before, since the procession’s start time is not published in advance.
Sources (1)
Facts checked: 22 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.