Ratha Yatra, the festival of chariot, a Hindu festival is celebrated in the Eastern parts of India – in Puri, the temple town of Orissa – every year on the second day (Dwitiya) day of Shukla pakshya (waxing cycle of the moon) and 3rd month in the Lunar calendar in the Bengali month of Ashad which falls between June and July. The deities of the Jagannath Temple, Puri's main temple, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel (Sudarshana Chakra) are taken out from the temple precincts in an elaborate ritual procession in their respective chariots.
The festival has gone widely popular worldwide and the Hindu Temple and Cultural Society at Carbondale city, informally known as "Little Egypt" in Southern Illinois, USA celebrated the festival amidst various customs, traditions and observances on July 4, 2019. The temple was founded in December 2009, with an aim to serve the community and spread the rich Indian customs and traditions. The Puja began with the removal of the white board which had covered the deities for few days, a ritual prior to actual Rathayatra. The deities had their eyes covered and only to provide Darshan to the devotees on the auspicious day.
On the day, around 11 in the morning hours the covers were removed with beautiful mantras of Krishna naam and made open to devotees for the Lords' divya (eye) darshan followed by "Kotha bhooga kiya mo chaka aakhiyaa "– a very famous Bhikari Bala song that is played in Jagannath puri temple for decades. This song aroused divine feelings and complete surrender in the feet of lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. Then the smaller deities of the temple were placed in a Pallaki (Palanquin) and carried around the temple with chants of "Harey Krishna and harey ram" and "Jai Jagannath". This was followed by Jagannath abhisheka, and Ganesh puja, vastra daanam (distribution of clothes), followed by offering of prasadam, bhajan (devotional songs) and aarti. During this festival, the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra were taken for rounds around the temple in Carbondale area to the countryside, loaded onto pallaki (substitute of chariots) and carried on the shoulders by hundreds of devotees. Although there are many rituals associated with Rath Yatra –the best being that large number of devotes came from far and wide to offer the pallaki seva and with an extreme desire to see Lord and seek blessings. A glimpse of Lord Jagannath on the chariot is considered very auspicious since ages and Hindu mythology and scriptures have repeatedly glorified the sanctity of this special festival. The sanctity of the festival is such that even a touch of the pallaki is considered enough to confer the results of several pious deeds
