Rath Yatra
Puri at Rath Yatra, and the painters who prepare it
Puri, Odisha July — the chariot festival Group of 4–12 with the Raghurajpur Pattachitra Artists₹26,000 per guest
About this journey
Three chariots, built new every year, pulled through a town by hand.
Three days around the chariot festival at Puri, approached from the side most visitors never see: the workshops. In Raghurajpur, the Pattachitra painters prepare the ritual art that the festival depends on, and the chariot builders work to measurements that have not changed in centuries. Then the day itself, when three enormous wooden chariots are drawn through the streets by thousands of people pulling on ropes.
Why now
July — the chariot festival — and not the rest of the year
The chariots are not stored and reused. They are built new each year from a specified number of logs, used once, and dismantled — the timber passing on to the temple kitchens. The Pattachitra work tied to the festival is painted to a deadline that falls now and not otherwise. Visit Puri in March and you will see a beautiful coastal temple town; you will not see the one week in which the whole apparatus of it is publicly rebuilt.
Your guide
Sudarshan Maharana
Pattachitra painter, third generation, Raghurajpur
Sudarshan paints in the Raghurajpur tradition and has worked on ritual commissions tied to the temple calendar. He can explain what a figure means, why the proportion is fixed, and where a painter is permitted to be inventive — which is rarer and more interesting than it sounds.
Itinerary
Day by day, at the community’s unhurried pace.
What’s included
Included
- Three days guided
- Raghurajpur studio visits
- Reserved viewing for the procession
- Breakfast daily
- Travel between Puri and Raghurajpur
Not included
- Flights and hotels
- Most meals
- Temple donations
Good to know
- Group size
- 4–12 guests — kept small on purpose.
- Languages
- English, Odia, Hindi
- Physical level
- Moderate, with long periods standing in heat and humidity. July in Puri is hot and often wet.
- Accessibility
- Procession viewing can be arranged seated. Raghurajpur's lanes are flat and largely manageable; some studios are up a step.
- Meeting point
- Puri, hotel pickup on day one at 8.00am.
- Cancellation
- Moderate — full refund up to 7 days before, 50% up to 48 hours before.
Etiquette & consent
The Jagannath temple itself admits Hindus only — we do not attempt entry and we ask that you do not press the point. Photography of the procession is welcome; of private worship, ask first.
Where your fee goes
For a single guest at ₹26,000, this is exactly how the fee is shared.
- The host & makers₹15,600 (60%)
- The community fund₹7,800 (30%)
- Sanchaari (platform & support)₹2,600 (10%)
Book your seats
Join Puri at Rath Yatra, and the painters who prepare it
Pick a date, add your travellers, and confirm. Seats are limited and update live — you’ll get a printable confirmation the moment your booking clears.
- 1Date & guests
- 2Travellers
- 3Payment