Also called “car festival”, this is the most important festival dedicated to Lord Jagannath, taking place every year in June in Odisha. The “rathas” are huge wooden structures on wheels that are built every year and pulled by the devotees.
During this four-days festival, women and young girls in Odisha in the Bay of Bengal are given a break from household work. It’s time to play games, indoor and outdoor!
According to the mythology, the mother goddess Earth, also called Bhudevi, undergoes menstruation during the first three days. The fourth day is known as Vasumati gadhua or ceremonial bath of Bhudevi. The term Raja has come from Rajaswala (meaning a menstruating woman) and during medieval period the festival became more popular as an agricultural holiday.
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