The Ratha Yatra of Puri, also rendered as the Ratha Jatra () (, ) is a Hindu festival associated with the deity Jagannath held at Shri Khetra Puri Dham in the state of Odisha, India. It is the oldest Ratha Yatra, whose descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, the Skanda Purana, and the Kapila Samhita. This Ratha Yatra is the celebration of the occasion of the deity Jagannath, a form of the Hindu deity Vishnu or Krishna, journeying towards his aunt's house. Adherents mark this occasion as Jagannath's annual visit to the Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple (maternal aunt's home) near Saradha Bali, Puri. This annual festival is celebrated on the Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dvitiya, the second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month of the Odia Calendar. Description RATHA YATRA, the Festival of Chariots: Chariots of Shri Jagannath is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Odisha, on the second (dwitiya) day of shukla pakshya (waxing cycle of moon) of Āshādha Māsa (3rd month of Odia calendar). The presiding deities of the Jagannath Temple, Puri's main temple, Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel- Sudarshana Chakra (ସୁଦର୍ଶନ ଚକ୍ର) are removed from the temple in a ceremonial procession to their chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated chariots are drawn by multitude of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha Temple (Gundicha– King Indradyumna's Queen), two miles away to the North. On the way the chariot of Jagannatha, Nandighosa (ନନ୍ଦିଘୋଷ) waits near the crematorium of Bhakta Salabega (ଭକ୍ତ ସାଲବେଗ), a Muslim devotee, to pay him tribute. On their way back from the Gundicha Temple, the three deities stop for a while near the Mausi Maa Temple (Aunt's abode) and have an offering of the Poda Pitha, which is a special type of pancake supposed to be the deity's favourite. After a stay of seven days, the deities return to their abode. The Chariots The three chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are newly constructed every year with wood of specified trees like phassi, dhausa, etc. They are customarily brought from the ex-princely state of Dasapalla by a specialist team of carpenters who have hereditary rights and privileges for the same. The logs are traditionally set afloat as rafts in the river Mahanadi. These are collected near Puri and then transported by road. The three chariots are decorated as per the