With the much-anticipated Rath Yatra festival inching closer, devotees from all walks of life are gearing up for the grand celebration. The air is filled with excitement and religious fervor as preparations are underway to mark one of the most significant festivals in the calendar.
 
Rath Yatra, also known as the Chariot Festival, holds immense religious and cultural significance for millions of devotees across the country. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion, symbolizing the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra on elaborately decorated chariots.
 
Devotees have begun their preparations well in advance, making intricate arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival. Local committees and organizations are working tirelessly to construct the magnificent chariots and decorate them with vibrant colors, flowers, and traditional motifs.
 
The construction of the chariots, also known as raths, is a labor-intensive task that involves skilled artisans and craftsmen. These talented individuals meticulously carve and sculpt the wooden frames, transforming them into awe-inspiring chariots that reflect the grandeur of the occasion.
 
City-based socio-cultural associations have started gearing up for  Rath Yatra festival  which will be celebrated on July 20. As the run up to the festival, organisations like Iskcon and other temples from where Rath Yatra will be taken out  are gearing up for the festival. Iskcon which has started organising Rath Yatra in a massive way in Jamshedpur witnessed participation from various cross sections of the society.
 
“A blend of religious zeal and passion converts the streets and alleys of the city into a kaleidoscope of colors and gaiety. Festival begins with a huge fanfare of drums and cymbals,” said a devotee.
 
The bathing festival before the Rath yatra is celebrated on the Purnima (full moon day) of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. The day holds a great significance as this is the first occasion in the year as per the Hindu calendar, when the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are brought out from the Jagannath Temple in Puri and taken in a procession to the Snana Bedi. There they are ceremonially bathed and decorated for a public audience with the devotees.
 
The priests from Iskcon performed Abhishek with ghee on all the three deities- Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra followed by a grand floral decoration at the Dhalbhum Club. It was then kept for 'darshan' by the devotees who also indulged themselves in hymns of Shri Krishna.
 
This year too, the grand Iskcon Rath Yatra festival with 50 ft tall chariots will start from the Ram Mandir in Bistupur and will culminate at Dhalbhum Club in Sakchi.
 
Maintaining the rich tradition, the Rath Yatra Committee of Jugsalai is set to organise a grand ‘rath yatra’ during which the Lord Jagannath was worshipped with his elder brother Bala-Rama and his sister Subhadra.