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Posted by : sachinkate
December 25, 2011
Yatra is a part of Indian tradition.
The term does not refer to any particular festival. But, it can be a part of
any festivals. ‘Yatra’ refers to fair, a
journey to a pilgrimage site (Tirtha yatra) and also a procession held during
the celebrations of any festivals. In the Hindu tradition ‘Yatra’ would be
observed as a part of ritual to be followed, but it is not an obligatory
ritual.
It is said that by accomplishing a Yatra
one would feel ‘full filled’. The Yatra consists of visiting holy shrines, and performing
due rituals at the holy site (such as visiting holy rivers, confluences etc. Epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana
state the desirable ‘yatras’ one should accomplish in his life time. However
none are obligatory. A Yatra is a journey to be accomplished. It involves
hardships, sufferings and arriving at the destination fulfills one’s desires.
Some Yatras are:
· Char
Dham Yatra: This includes a journey to four holy cities. They are, Badarinath, Dwarka,
Jagannath Puri and Rameshwaram. It
should be accomplished in one’s life time. Sometimes the cluster would be expanded by
adding few more cities (Sath Dham Yatra for instance).
Manas
Sarovar Yatra: This Yatra consists of visiting the Manas Sarovar Lake near
Mount Kailash.
Amarnath
Yatra: This Yatra consists of visiting the Amarnath Linga in the State of Jammu
and Kashmir. This takes place every
year.
Ratha
Yatra at Puri Jagannath: This Yatra will be accomplished by dragging the
Chariot till the Gundecha Mata temple. This takes place in Jagannath Puri,
Orissa.
Tirtha
Yatra: This Yatra consists of visiting all the holy shrines (pilgrimage sites)
at least once in our lifetime. Sometimes
devotees of a particular deity undertake a journey by walk (bhajans, devotional
songs involved) towards the shrines belonging to their particular deity during
specific times. They go in groups. For
instance, the ‘Warkaris’ in Maharashtra (devotees of Vithoba –the deity of
Pandharpur ) undertake such Yatra in June and July. Their destination would be
Pandharpur.
Fairs: These fairs are called ‘Jatra’ in India. These
‘jatras’ have significance at the regional level. They will be held once in a
year or sometimes once in two years depending upon the tradition of the temple.
Processions will take place including the chariot procession (Rath Yatra of the
particular deity) by the communities.
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