Rath Yatra 2018: Sudarsan Pattnaik pays sand art tribute to Lord Jagannath—Pics

Pic Courtesy: Twitter

New Delhi: The much revered Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra is an annual festival. This year Lord's 141st Rath Yatra or chariot festival happens to be on July 14 and the preparations for the big event is already underway in the temple town of Puri, Odisha.

Noted sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik, who hails from Bhubaneswar, Odisha paid a beautiful sand art tribute to Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. He shared the image on Twitter and wrote: “Jai #Jagannath #RathaJatra: my SandArt at #Bhubaneswar airport for the grand occasion. Please visit #Odisha and seek blessings of the Lord.”

Jai #Jagannath #RathaJatra : my SandArt at #Bhubaneswar airport for the grand occasion. Please visit #Odisha and seek blessings of the Lord. pic.twitter.com/XU9HfmkwDO — Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 13, 2018

May Mahaprabhu Jagannath bless all. Happy #RathaJatra : my SandArt at #Bhubaneswar airport for the grand occasion. Please visit #Odisha and seek blessings of the Lord. pic.twitter.com/yjhRUILi0Y — Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 12, 2018

Everyone, irrespective of caste, creed or religion is same before Mahaprabhu #Jagannatha. My SandArt of the Lord and his greatest devotee, Salabega for the pious occasion of #RathaJatra at #Puri. pic.twitter.com/4wpMrLuB5y — Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 13, 2018

My SandArt of the Lord #Jagannath and his greatest devotee, Salabega for the pious occasion of #RathaJatra at #Puri. pic.twitter.com/TQGT0ejGPi

— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 13, 2018

According to Drikpanchang, Dwitiya Tithi begins at 4:32 am on July 14 and ends at 00:55 am on July 15. One of the most important festivals of the Eastern state of India, Odisha attracts millions of devotees thronging the annual chariot procession just to get one glimpse of the Lord.

The Rath Yatra or journey of the chariots has a huge religious significance. During the month of Asadha in June or July, the presiding deities of Lord Jagannath, brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra are taken from their Puri temple to Bada Danda and complete the distance of almost 3 km to Shri Gundicha Temple on huge chariots.

While the deities travel on chariots driven by many people, devotees and onlookers pay their obeisance and seek the blessings of the Lord queuing for darshan. The Rath Yatra is also known as the Shri Gundicha Yatra.

The chariots are huge in size, with Lord Jagannath's chariot being approximate of 45ft high, 35ft sq and takes around 2 months to get prepared. The festival happens to be the main attraction of Odisha inviting several tourists every year.

Jai Jagannath!