One of India's biggest Religious festivals, Millions of Hindus celebrate Chariot Festival in India

The 3 chariots are constructed from over 4,000 pieces of wood by a few families who have the hereditary rights to make them.
The festival is unique in that three Hindu gods are taken out of their temples in a colourful procession to meet their devotees.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees thronged the Puri district of India's eastern Odisha state on July 1, 2022, to participate in the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra festival.
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Believed to be the oldest Rath Yatra or chariot procession in the world, this festival marks the annual ceremonial procession of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra, from their home temple to another temple, located in what is believed to be their aunt's home.

This journey is documented in undated Hindu sacred texts known as the Puranas which are believed to have been written a few thousand years ago.
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THEY have no manuals, architectural drawings or modern machines, but a group of craftsmen make gigantic and identical chariots for Lord Jagannath and his two siblings in Puri every year, using only traditional knowledge.

During the annual Rath Yatra festival in the pilgrim town, three chariots famed for their majestic structure and brilliant craftsmanship start from the 12th century Jagannath Temple and reach the Gundicha Temple.

“The chariots are constructed afresh every year. There is no deviation in their heights, widths and other key parameters for centuries. However, new features are added to the chariots to make them more colourful and attractive,” Asit Mohanty, a researcher in the Jagannath culture, told PTI.

The carpenters engaged in chariot construction do not have any formal training. They only have #knowledge and #techniques that have been trickled down from their forefathers.
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