Rath Yatra · Puri · 2026
Puri Rath Yatra 2026
📅 Date:
📍 Shree Jagannath Temple, Grand Road (Bada Danda), Puri, Odisha 752001
Quick Answer
When is Rath Yatra 2026 in Puri?
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The Puri Rath Yatra is the original and grandest Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath, drawing millions of devotees to the holy town of Puri in Odisha every year. On Rath Yatra day the three deities — Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra — are brought out of the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple and placed on three towering, hand-built wooden chariots, which devotees then pull along the Grand Road (Bada Danda) to the Gundicha Temple about 3 kilometres away.
Chariot procession route in Puri
The procession begins at the Singhadwara (Lion's Gate) of the Shree Jagannath Temple. After the morning rituals — Pahandi (the ceremonial swaying procession of the deities onto the chariots) and the Chhera Pahanra (the Gajapati King sweeping the chariots with a golden broom) — the three chariots are pulled north along the Bada Danda (Grand Road) for roughly 3 kilometres to the Gundicha Temple, where the deities stay for nine days. On Bahuda Yatra the chariots are pulled back along the same route to the main temple.
Rath Yatra 2026 schedule — Puri
| Date | Ritual / Event |
|---|---|
| Gundicha Marjana — ceremonial cleaning of the Gundicha Temple | |
| Rath Yatra — chariot procession from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple | |
| Hera Panchami — Goddess Lakshmi visits the Gundicha Temple | |
| Sandhya Darshan — auspicious evening darshan at the Gundicha Temple | |
| Bahuda Yatra — return chariot procession to the main temple | |
| Suna Besha — deities adorned in golden ornaments on the chariots | |
| Adhara Pana — giant sweet-drink offering to the deities on the chariots | |
| Niladri Bije — the deities re-enter the Jagannath Temple |
Rath Yatra in Puri — history & significance
Puri's Rath Yatra is one of the oldest recorded chariot festivals in the world, mentioned in the Skanda Purana, Brahma Purana and Padma Purana. The 14th-century traveller Ibn Battuta and the Vaishnava saint Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu — who spent his later years in Puri — both witnessed it. Three new chariots are built every year without a single nail: Nandighosa (Lord Jagannath, 16 wheels, ~13.5 m tall), Taladhwaja (Balabhadra, 14 wheels) and Darpadalana (Subhadra, 12 wheels). Every twelve to nineteen years the wooden deities themselves are renewed in the secret Nabakalebara ceremony. Pulling the chariot ropes is believed to grant the merit of a hundred yajnas.
