Bhubaneswar: Odisha is a land of festivals. And out of innumerable festivals celebrated in Odisha, chariot pulling festivals or car festivals are one of the most awaited festivals.
And most importantly many different shrines across Odisha have their own car festivals. Lingaraja Temple celebrates Rukuna Ratha Yatra which falls on Ashokastami while Konark Temple celebrates Surya Ratha Yatra on Magha Saptami and Jajpur’s Biraja Temple celebrates Bijaya Ratha Yatra.
All About Rukuna Car Festival
With the famous Rukuna Rath Yatra of Lord Lingaraj being celebrated in Bhubaneswar today, let’s delve into its legend and significance.
The Rukuna Yatra is held every year on the eighth day of the month of Chaitra at Ekamra Kshetra, which is known for the worship of Lord Shiva from very ancient period.
Lord Lingaraj visits the Rameshwar temple as part of the festival. This festival is also known as Papa Binashi Yatra which signifies that a devotee gets rid of all the sins by having the darshan of Lord Lingaraj atop the chariot.
Legends Behind The Car Festival:
According to the Ekamra Purana, Ramchandra killed the demon king Ravana and rescued Sita from the clutches of the demon king at Lanka. As Ravana was a Brahmin, Ramchandra was convicted of ‘Brahma Dosha‘. To get rid of this sin, he went to the Ekamra or present-day Bhubaneswar as advised by Kulaguru Basishtha and worshipped Tribhubaneswara (Lingaraj).
Pleased by the worship of Lord Ram, Lord Shiva appeared before him and advised Ram to establish four Lingas in his own name and in the name of his three brothers – Rameshwar, Lakshmaneshwar, Bharateshwar and Shatrughaneshwar.
Legend has it that the Rameshwar temple was established on the Ashokastami day of the month Chaitra. Since then, Lord Lingaraj comes to Rameshwar temple in the chariot of Debadalana in the eighth tithi of Shukla paksha every year. Lingaraj Mahaprabhu visits Rameshwar temple for five days to pay respect to Lord Ram.
Besides, legend says when the demon Tripurasura created havoc on earth, God made a special chariot named Rukuna and offered it to Lord Shiva to kill the evil power. He was accompanied by goddess Shakti or Rukmini.
Rituals:
The special attraction of the festival is that Maa Bhubaneswari travels in a chariot with Mahaprabhu Lingaraj to kill Asura on this day.
The chariot’s charioteer Brahma and thousands of devotees pull the Lord Lingaraj’s Chariot with great devotion. The chariot stops near the Rameshwar temple. During the four-day stay, the devotees perform the rituals, and on the fifth day, they return to the Lingaraj temple in the chariot.
Today, Mangala Alati ritual was performed at 5 am today following which ‘Abakasha’ and ‘Sahanamela’ rituals of Lord Lingaraj were performed. Subsequently, ‘Pahandi’ and ‘Ratharudha’ rituals of Lord Lingaraj will start at 12.30 pm. The chariot pulling will commence at 3.30 pm on Tuesday.
