In the sacred town of Puri, a festival unfolds each year that draws millions to its streets and millions more in prayer. It is a celebration of devotion, tradition, and the bond between the divine and the devotee. Ancient in its origins and grand in its scale, it is one of the most cherished festivals in India. This is the Jagannath Rath Yatra.  

The Chariots of the Gods 

The words ‘Rath Yatra’ simply mean ‘chariot procession’. But the scale of this yatra is anything but simple. It involves three giant, hand-carved wooden chariots, each more than 40 feet tall, built afresh every year for Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra, and his sister Subhadra. 

On the day of the yatra, celebrated in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June–July), these deities leave their grand abode, the Jagannath Temple, and travel to their aunt’s temple, the Gundicha Temple, about three kilometers away. The streets of Puri transform into a living river of people, pulling the ropes of these majestic chariots, singing devotional songs, and celebrating what is to them, the most divine road trip of the year.  

Different kinds of Sevakas or helpers, from the Jagannatha Temple offer their services; the most important among them being the Suara Mahasura Dahuka; a couple of charioteers who recite what is known as the Dahuka Boli, which are essentially bawdy songs. The lyrics of the Dahuka Boli tend to be very risqué, with a lot of double entendre. Since it is believed that the Rath Yatra is a symbol of fertility and the cycle of life; unless the Dahuka Boli is sung, the Rath Yatra does not start. 

Myth and Mystery 

The Rath Yatra has been celebrated for over a thousand years, with records tracing it back to the 12th century, when the Jagannath Temple itself was built by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva. Since then, the chariots have rolled through the streets of Puri every year without fail, watched over by generations of kings, pilgrims, and priests. But the legend of King Purushottama Deva, who ruled Odisha in the 15th century, adds a stirring and dramatic chapter to the festival’s legacy. 

According to the famous Kanchi-Kaveri legend, King Purushottama Deva once sent a marriage proposal to the princess of the powerful Kanchi kingdom in the south. However, the Kanchi king rejected the proposal, mocking that Purushottama, despite being a ruler, had humiliated himself by sweeping the chariot path of Lord Jagannath during the Rath Yatra. To the devout Odia king, this was no humiliation, but the highest honour—serving the Lord as his humble devotee. 

Feeling insulted, Purushottama vowed to teach the king of Kanchi a lesson. He launched a military campaign against Kanchi, but his first attempt failed. On returning to Puri, he prayed to Lord Jagannath and sought his blessings for a second expedition. 

This time, before setting out, the king declared that Jagannath and Balabhadra themselves would lead the army. As the story goes, during the march, two mysterious warriors—one dark and one fair—were seen riding ahead of the Odia forces. They stopped at the house of a cowherd woman and asked for curd-rice. She offered them food, unaware of their divine identities. When the king arrived later and heard her account, he was deeply moved and realised that the Lord and his brother had truly gone ahead to bless the battle. 

This time, the Odia army triumphed over Kanchi. The princess, moved by the divine tale and the king’s devotion, agreed to marry him. As a tribute to Lord Jagannath, Purushottama Deva brought her back to Puri and arranged for the royal wedding to be held in the presence of the deities. 

Since then, the Kanchi-Kaveri story has been celebrated in Odia lore as a shining example of divine intervention, royal devotion, and victory of dharma. It also highlights the sacred bond between Lord Jagannath and the kings of Odisha, where even monarchs see themselves as mere servants of the Lord. 

One particularly sweet belief is that the Lord goes out on this Yatra so that his devotees, who are not allowed into the main temple (non-Hindus, for instance), get to see him during this public procession. It is a festival of inclusion, where every devotee, no matter where they’re from, gets darshan. 

A Festival like no Other 

Preparations for the Rath Yatra begin months in advance. Special logs of wood are brought from select forests to build the chariots. The colours of each chariot are symbolic—red and yellow for Subhadra, red and green for Balabhadra, and red and blue for Jagannath. The entire event is orchestrated with clockwork precision, yet it holds the chaotic energy of a divine carnival. 

The pulling of the chariots is the high point. Thousands gather to hold the ropes—because it is said that pulling the Lord’s chariot washes away one’s sins and brings good fortune. The procession takes several hours, sometimes an entire day, and ends with the deities resting at the Gundicha Temple for nine days before returning to their sanctum. 

For centuries, the Jagannath Rath Yatra has reminded devotees that the divine is never distant. It is a festival of faith, humility, and shared joy. As the chariots roll through the streets of Puri, they carry with them the prayers of a people and the grace of a tradition that continues, year after year. As the Lord sets out on his journey, devotees find meaning in their own. 

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Historical Mentions  

Many ancient texts contain mentions of Vishkanyas and their operations in ancient courts. One such text is the Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft written by Chanakya, a strategist and royal advisor to Chandragupta, the first Mauryan emperor. In addition to this, some local Marathi sources such as the Marathi book, ‘Samrat Akhbar’ and a Persian source by historian Abdul Qadir Badyuni from the period of Mughal Emperor Akbar, also point towards the existence of the Vishkanyas. Similarly, some Ayurvedic texts on toxicology mention Vishkanyas and their dangers. There is also a lot of anecdotal and oral evidence surrounding the legend of these assassins.  

Training  

According to legend, young girls who were chosen to become Vishkanyas had to undergo rigorous training. A major part of this training included a practice known as ‘Mithridatism’. Mithridatism was method to protect oneself against various poisons by gradually consuming them in small doses daily, to develop immunity against them. Unfortunately, Mithridatism was not effective against all kinds of poison. Hence, many young women died during the process of becoming a Vishkanya. Those who survived were said to become insensitive to poison, and the immunity they attained was beneficial in killing their targets.   

Once they were fully trained, most Vishkanyas would disguise themselves as dancers or courtesans and approach their victims thus. In many stories, Vishkanyas appear to be able to poison others simply through touch or exchange of bodily fluids. Their blood would also be deadly to those who came in contact with it. However, some other texts suggest that the Vishkanyas weren’t physically poisonous. Instead, they would poison the food or drink of their enemy. They would then consume this food in front of the target to gain their trust. Since the Vishkanyas were immune to poison, they would not be affected, but the target would soon die after eating or drinking the poisoned items.  

The Legends of Vishkanyas  

Once, a Vishkanya was sent, disguised as a dancer, to the court of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Suspecting her real identity, Chanakya sent her to the emperor’s enemy, King Parvathak. The very next day, Parvathak was found dead, and Emperor Chandragupta was saved.

Some records mention an incident where the Greek philosopher Aristotle warned Alexander the Great against such dancers gifted by Indian kings to their guests.  

Information on the Vishkanyas is found in very limited amount of historical texts, which is why it is difficult to differentiate between fact and legend surrounding these assassins. Perhaps that is why these mysterious and fascinating figures have captured public imagination, turning them into common archetypes even in modern literature.

By Srinidhi Murthy

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