|| A Description of the Ratha Jatra ||

In the ‘Sri Jagannathashtakam’ composed by Sri Shankaracharya, the Ratha Jatra (Chariot Festival) is described as follows:

Ratharudho gachhan pathimilita bhudevapatalaih
Stuti pradurbhavam pratipadamupakarnya sadayah
Dayasindhurbandhuh sakalajagatam sindhu sutaya
Jagannathah swami nayana patha gami bhavatu me {5}

Meaning: He who, while proceeding on His chariot, becomes filled with compassion upon hearing the hymns of praise offered at every step by the multitudes of Brahmins gathered on the Grand Road; He who is an ocean of mercy, the friend of all the worlds, the Lord of the Universe, Jagannath, along with the daughter of the ocean, Mother Lakshmi—may that Lord Jagannath be the object of my vision.

Jai Jagannath, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Namah.
(Victory to Jagannath, Salutations to the divine Lord Vasudeva.)

As immortalized by the great Adi Shankaracharya, this artwork captures the most compassionate moment of the Ratha Jatra. See Lord Jagannath as Ratharudha—mounted on His glorious chariot, proceeding down the Grand Road. His heart swells with mercy as He hears the loving hymns of countless devotees.