Lord Jagannath rath yatra commences in Gujarat

The 144th annual rath yatra of Lord Jagannath began in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city.

Context

The 144th annual rath yatra of Lord Jagannath began in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city.

Jagannath is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra and sister, devi Subhadra.
Jagannath within Odia Hinduism is the supreme god, Purushottama.
To most Vaishnava Hindus, particularly the Krishnaites, Jagannath is an abstract representation of Krishna.
Sometimes as the avatar of Krishna or Vishnu, to some Shaiva and Shakta Hindus, he is a symmetry-filled tantric form of Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation.

Jagannath Rath Yatra is celebrated by worshipping Lord Jagannath (ruler of the world), his elder brother Balbhadra (Balaram) and sister Subhadra.
- Three giant wooden chariots are made of a kind of Neem tree for the deities for the yatra.
The journey of the chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra began from the 400-year-old Jagannath temple in Jamalpur area.
It started with 'Pahind Vidhi'- a symbolic ritual of cleaning the way for the 'raths' (chariots).
It is the oldest Ratha Yatra taking place in India and the World, whose descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita.

The Jagannath Temple at Puri is among the most revered Vaishnava sites in India.
The current temple was built by Anantavarman of the Chodaganga dynasty in the 12th century.
The deities in the sanctum are associated with King Indrayumna of the Iksvaku dynasty, who was the nephew of Lord Ram.
The Jagannath Temple celebrates 148 festivals annually, which includes 12 yatras, 28 upayatras and 108 ritualistic festivals.
Among these the Ratha Yatra festival of Jagannath deva celebrated in the month of Asadha (June-July) is the most well-known one.