(Top) Rath yatra in Kendrapara and the Baldevjew temple

The Puri rath yatra is a global event drawing lakhs of devotees, but the annual car festival of Lord Baldevjew in Kendrapara has a special religious significance.

“It has many distinctive characteristics, strikingly different from the Puri rath yatra,” said Balram Suar, former trustee member of Baldevjew temple.

Lord Baldev being the elder brother of Lord Jagannath, the chariot here is bigger in size and shape.

In the 72-ft gigantic chariot, Lord Baldev, brother Jagannath and sister Subhadra travel to Sri Gundicha temple. The height of Lord Jagannath’s chariot in Puri is 46 ft, Suar told The Telegraph.

The car festival is observed for two days in Kendrapara, widely known as Tulasi Kshetra, while elsewhere it’s a one-day affair. With this region having a sizeable presence of people from the minority community, there is a congregation of a Muslims as the chariot is pulled by devotees to Gundicha temple. For devout Hindus, Tulasi Kshetra is as sacred as the Sri Kshetra Puri, Ekamra Kshetra Bhubaneswar, Viraja Kshetra, Jajpur and Arka Kshetra, Konark. Also known as Gupta Kshetra, Brahma Kshetra, Kandar Nagar, Kendra Palli and Kandharapadhi during different periods of history, Kendrapara, as it is now known, has a rich cultural heritage. Feudatory zamindari rulers owing allegiance to Maratha rulers had built up the present-day Baldevjew temple during the 17th century.

The Vimana and the Jagamohan have been built in Pidha style with a spacious courtyard and surrounded by high walls. Within the premises are the shrines of Kanaka Durga, Snana Mandap, Jhulan Mandap, Garuda Pillar, images of Tulasi Devi and Sri Gauranga besides the kitchen, stores etc. Around the temple are the Parswa Devatas (side deities) like Ganesha, Nrusimha, Varaha and Kamadeva.

The ceiling and the inner walls of the Jagamohana are painted with mythological scenes and Dasavatara. Like Sri Jagannath Temple of Puri, the presiding deities of the shrine at Kendrapara are Balabhadra, Subhadra, Jagannath and Sudarshana. But the idols are strikingly different from those of Puri. The image of Sri Balabhadra is taller and bigger than the images of Lord Jagannath and Subhadra.