Festival · 2027
Jagannath Rath Yatra 2027 — Monday, 5 July 2027
Rath Yatra is the chariot festival of Puri, when Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra leave their temple on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya and are pulled through the streets by devotees.
In 2026
Thursday, 16 July 2026
- Tithi
- Shukla Dwitiya: 15 Jul, 11:51 AM – 16 Jul, 8:53 AM
- Lunar month
- Ashadha
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:33 AM / 7:20 PM
Rule: Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya at sunrise.
In 2027
Monday, 5 July 2027
- Tithi
- Shukla Dwitiya: 5 Jul, 4:51 AM – 6 Jul, 1:14 AM
- Lunar month
- Ashadha
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:28 AM / 7:22 PM
Rule: Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya at sunrise.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Jagannath Rath Yatra?
Rath Yatra, the festival of chariots, is the great annual procession of the Jagannath temple at Puri in Odisha. Jagannath, a form of Vishnu and Krishna, his elder brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra are brought out of the temple and placed on three huge wooden chariots, which are pulled by crowds along the Bada Danda, the Grand Road, to the Gundicha temple about three kilometres away. It is one of the few times the deities leave the sanctum, and anyone on the road can see them, whatever their background.
The chariots are built new every year by hereditary carpenters, beginning around Akshaya Tritiya. Jagannath rides Nandighosha, with sixteen wheels; Balabhadra rides Taladhwaja, with fourteen; and Subhadra rides Darpadalana, with twelve. Before the chariots move, the Gajapati king of Puri sweeps their platforms with a gold-handled broom in the rite called Chhera Pahanra, a sign that before the Lord the king is a servant. Then the ropes are taken up and the chariots begin to roll.
The festival is the middle of a longer cycle. On Snana Purnima, the full Moon of Jyeshtha, the deities are bathed with 108 pots of water. Tradition says they then fall ill, and for about two weeks, the period called anasara, they rest away from public view while receiving herbal care. They reappear in the Netrotsava just before the procession. They stay at Gundicha for about a week, and on Hera Panchami the goddess Lakshmi is said to visit, displeased at being left behind. The return, the Bahuda Yatra, comes on Ashadha Shukla Dashami, completing a festival of nine days, followed by the Suna Besha, in which the deities are adorned in gold on their chariots.
The Skanda Purana, in the Purushottama Kshetra Mahatmya of its Utkala Khanda, and the Brahma Purana praise Puri and its Lord. The best-known story tells of King Indradyumna, who received a sacred log from the sea, and of an old carpenter, said to be Vishvakarma himself, who carved the images behind closed doors on condition that no one disturb him. When the doors were opened early, the images were found unfinished, and that is the form in which Jagannath is worshipped.
How it is observed
- Watching or joining the pulling of the chariots, which devotees regard as a great blessing even for a moment.
- Seeing the deities on their chariots, the rath darshan, open to everyone on the road.
- Singing kirtan and bhajans along the route, with conch shells, cymbals and drums.
- Receiving the temple’s mahaprasad, cooked in the Puri temple kitchen and shared across all castes.
- Local Rath Yatras in towns and cities worldwide, often with a smaller chariot pulled by the community.
- Following the later days: Hera Panchami, the Bahuda Yatra and the Suna Besha in gold.
How the date is fixed
Rath Yatra is held on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya, the second tithi of the bright half of Ashadha. Our calendar gives the day on which Dwitiya is current at sunrise. If Dwitiya begins after one sunrise and ends before the next, touching no sunrise (a kshaya tithi), we give the day on which it begins. The Puri temple announces its own schedule for the procession, including when the chariots start to move, and that announcement is the one to follow for Puri.
Where practice differs
Puri’s procession is the original and the largest. Across Odisha, many towns hold their own. Ahmedabad has a large Rath Yatra from the Jagannath temple at Jamalpur, and in Bengal the Rath Yatra at Mahesh near Serampore is one of the oldest in the region. ISKCON has carried the festival to cities around the world. Once every several years, in a year with an extra lunar month of Ashadha, Puri holds Nabakalebara, when new images carved from chosen neem trees replace the old ones.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Why do the deities go to the Gundicha temple?
Gundicha is described as the home of Jagannath’s aunt, or as the place connected with Queen Gundicha, wife of Indradyumna. The deities stay there for about a week before the Bahuda Yatra brings them back.
What are the names of the three chariots?
Nandighosha carries Jagannath and has sixteen wheels, Taladhwaja carries Balabhadra and has fourteen, and Darpadalana carries Subhadra and has twelve. All three are built new every year.
Why are the deities not seen before Rath Yatra?
After the great bath on Snana Purnima, tradition says the deities fall ill. For about two weeks, called anasara, they rest in private and receive herbal care, and they are seen again at the Netrotsava just before the procession.
When does the Bahuda Yatra take place?
The return journey is on Ashadha Shukla Dashami, eight days after the outward procession, which is why Rath Yatra is described as a nine-day festival. The Puri temple announces the exact schedule.