Wheels of the People: Rath Yatra and the Conditionally Radical Movement of the Divine
Each year, in the city of Puri in Odisha, an immense and otherworldly ritual takes to the streets. The Rath Yatra, or Chariot Festival, is among the most widely celebrated Hindu festivals in India, drawing millions of devotees. But beyond its spectacle lies something deeper: a profound statement about religious freedom in India, access to the divine, and the dignity of marginalized communities.
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The festival centers on Jagannath—a deity whose name means “Lord of the Universe.” Unlike the polished stone idols of most temples, Jagannath’s form is wooden, round-eyed, and notably incomplete. He does not conform to idealized imagery. He is accessible, uncarved, and uncontained. During Rath Yatra, he doesn’t wait in a sanctum for the ritually pure; he comes to the streets, surrounded by people from all walks of life.
This act of movement transforms the public square into a sacred space. For this moment, the usual hierarchies of temple access and ritual purity are symbolically suspended. Dalits, tribal communities, women, and queer and trans Hindus often help shape the festival’s vibrant, chaotic energy. While this inclusivity does not erase the persistent realities of casteism and gender exclusion in everyday religious life, Rath Yatra offers a rare vision—however temporary or uneven—of a Hinduism that is public, embodied, and shared. It gestures toward a deeper ideal of Hindu human rights, one that still requires work to fully realize.
In today’s polarized climate, where debates like Hindutva vs Hinduism dominate the public sphere, Rath Yatra provides a powerful reminder of a pluralistic and egalitarian Hindu tradition. Unlike the majoritarian ideologies that seek to rigidly define Hindu identity, this festival enacts a Hinduism of the people—one where faith rolls forward through shared effort and collective will.
The ritual of pulling Jagannath’s chariot—thousands of hands gripping heavy ropes—is an act of communal devotion. But it is also a metaphor for a shared moral journey. There is no engine powering the chariots but the strength of the community. Everyone moves the god. In doing so, everyone shares the burden and blessing of dharma.
Lord Jagganath with his brother, Balabhadra, and their sister, Subhadra,
Jagannath’s origin myth reinforces this ethos. His idol is carved from a sacred log that washes ashore—castaway, reclaimed, and revered. The divine, the story tells us, can arise from what is discarded. This theme resonates deeply with those long denied religious legitimacy: the so-called impure, the outcast, the gender-nonconforming. For them, Rath Yatra is not just a celebration—it is theological recognition.
This is the kind of vision that must be protected in conversations about religion and human rights. Rath Yatra doesn’t just offer a devotional moment. It offers a blueprint for what inclusive faith looks like. One that doesn’t retreat behind walls but rolls forward into the street, open to the world and pulled by its people.
More Reading
Unity in Diversity: The Uniqueness of Jagannath Culture of Odisha — PDF link: https://magazines.odisha.gov.in/Orissareview/2013/jul/engpdf/58-67.pdf
The Jagannath Rath Yatra Is a Reminder of How Inclusive Hinduism Can Be - The Wire
Lord Jagannath’s Ratha yatra- The cult of Inclusiveness and Harmony -Times of India
Chariots Of Faith: Why Rath Yatra Still Moves A Nation - India Currents
Shri Jagannatha Ratha Yatra: The Journey of Universal Harmony - Indic Today