Rath Yatra Festival is mainly distinguished for 3 Rathas of main 3 deities. These are;
Nandighosa Rath
The chariot of Lord Jagannath, the prime deity is called Nandighosha Ratha. The accompanying deity of this Ratha is Madan Mohan. This Ratha could be distinguished by color of its decorative cloth material i.e. red and yellow. Lord Jagannath is said to be one synonym of Lord Krishna. Red and yellow colors are auspicious for this Ratha as these colors are considered to be favorites of Lord Jagannath. This Ratha looks Yellow on its top-most portion. This Ratha is also called Garuda dhwaja Ratha or Kapila Ratha.
| Quick Facts about Nandighosha Ratha |
| Number of wheels |
16 |
| Total Number of wooden pieces used |
832 |
| Height |
44' 2" |
| Length and breadth |
34'6" x 34'6" |
| Decorative clothes |
Red, Yellow colour cloths |
| Guarded by |
Garuda |
| Charioteer of Ratha |
Daruka |
| The flag |
Trailokyamohini |
| The horses |
Shankha, Balahaka, Suweta,Haridashwa |
| The Rope |
Basuki Naga |
| Presiding Nine Deities |
(i) Varaha |
|
(ii) Gobardhan |
|
(iii) Krishna, Gopi Krishna |
|
(iv) Nursingha |
|
(v) Rama |
|
(vi) Narayan |
|
(Vii) Trivikrama |
|
(viii) Hanuman |
|
(ix) Rudra |
Taladhwaja Rath
Taladhwaja Ratha is 2nd Ratha belonging to Lord Bala bhadra. The accompanying deity of This Ratha is Ramakrishna. This Ratha is also called Langala dhwaja Ratha.
| Quick Facts about Taladhwaja Ratha |
| Number of wheels |
14 |
| Total Number of wooden pieces used |
763 |
| Height |
43' 3" |
| Length and breadth |
33' x 33' |
| Wrappings |
Red, Bluish green colour cloths |
| Guarded by |
Basudev |
| Name of the charioteer |
Matali |
| The flag |
Unnani |
| The horses |
Tribra, Ghora, Dirghasharma, |
| The Rope |
Basuki Naga |
| Presiding Nine Deities |
(i) Ganesh |
|
(ii) Kartikeya |
|
(iii) Sarvamangala |
|
(iv) Pralambar |
|
(v) Hatayudha |
|
(vi) Mrutyunjaya |
|
(Vii) Natamvara |
|
(viii) Mukteswar |
|
(ix) Sheshadeva |
Darpadalana Ratha
Chariot of Goddess Subhadra, sister of Lord Jagannath is adorned with red and black colour clothes. This chariot is smallest of all 3 chariots.
| Quick Facts about Darpadalana Ratha |
| Number of wheels |
12 |
| Total Number of wooden pieces used |
593 |
| Height |
42' 3" |
| Length and breadth |
31'6" x 31'6" |
| Wrappings |
Red, Black colour cloths |
| Guarded by |
Jayadurga |
| Name of the charioteer |
Arjuna |
| The flag |
Nadambika |
| The horses |
Rochika, Mochika, Jita Aparajita |
| The Rope |
Swarnachuda Naguni |
| Presiding Nine Deities |
(i) Chandi |
|
(ii) Chamunda |
|
(iii) Ugratara |
|
(iv) Vanadurga |
|
(v) Shulidurga |
|
(vi) Varahi |
|
(Vii) Shyamakali |
|
(viii) Mangala |
|
(ix) Vimala |
Parshva Devata : Each chariot has its own Parshva Devatas who are the deities of lesser regard than main deities. There are 9 Parshva Devatas for each chariot. All the Rathas are drawn by different colours of chariots. Dark coloured chariots are for Balarama, White ones are for Jagannath, Red ones are for Subhadra. Each chariot customarily has a Sarathi or Charioteer.