Srî Chaitanya at Ratha-yåtrå: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

These days you might see Lord Jagannath parade majestically through Trafalgar Square in London or along the sun-drenched beaches of Los Angeles; or you might watch the dome of his chariot float past the skyscrapers of New York or the mountains that rim Denver; or you might gaze at the massy wheels as they turn in Toronto, Guadalajara, or Florence. All around the globe, Lord Jagannath boards his stately chariot and, escorted by dancing and chanting devotees, goes out to see and be seen by all the people of his domain.
The festival is not new. Since time beyond memory, the celebrated deity of Krishna known as Jagannath (“Lord of the Universe”) has been honored with a great chariot parade at Jagannath Puri, a city in Orissa on the Bay of Ben­gal. Every summer pilgrims gather from all over India to join in the awesome and magnificent celebration, in which the Supreme Personality of God­head graces everyone—highborn or low, pure or impure, rich or poor —with his presence when he leaves his palatial temple and travels in state to his peaceful summer retreat.