Our Bureau
Puri
Thursday, June 27th marks the start of the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Odisha’s Puri. It is one of the biggest religious rallies that happens in Odisha every year as tens of thousands of devotees gather in Puri to witness the Yatra. The Yatra marks the grand procession of the three divine siblings, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra.
The Jagannath Temple in Puri is one of the most revered temples in India. It is one of the oldest temples holding several mystical traditions and ancient secrets inside its sacred precincts. One of the most intriguing and talked about features of the temple is the third step of the temple’s entrance known by many as ‘Yamashila’ or ‘Yama’s stone.
When a worshiper enters the Jagannath Temple they ascend 22 stairs which are each revered and sacred. Although all the stairs are sacred, the third step from the bottom has a special significance in the temple’s legend. It is known as Yamshila and according to religious beliefs it is said that the Hindu God of Death, Yamraj resides there, hence the name ‘Yamashila’.
It is believed that the God of Death, Yamraj once visited Lord Jagannath to seek help as he was troubled that he was receiving no souls in his realm. It was believed that if devotees saw Lord Jagannath then they could attain salvation and skip the journey to Yamlok (the land of the dead).
As per the beliefs Lord Jagannath told Yamraj to abode in the third step of the temple’s entrance and declared, “He who steps on this stair after seeing me shall be freed of sins, but shall come to your abode.” Since then the step is called Yamashila and those who visit the temple consciously avoid stepping on it.
The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath that starts on 27th June, the event takes place annually but is arranged according to the Hindu calendar. The Yatra is held during the Ashadh Shukla Paksha in the Asadh month every year. The Yatra starts from the highly respected and worshipped Jagannath Temple of Puri which is one of the Char Dhams of Hinduism.
