Ahmedabad Jagannath Rath Yatra: Preparations are in full swing in the temple premises for the Rath Yatra. Usually, when there is an auspicious occasion, relatives are invited by writing a booklet, while on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra, there is a tradition of writing Kankotri. According to this tradition, the head of the temple writes Kankotri a few days before the Rath Yatra and invites the Lord to join the Rath Yatra and the first invitation is given to Hanumanji. In this regard, Mahendra Jha, trustee of Jagannathji Temple, says that the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannathji starting from Ahmedabad is the most famous Rath Yatra after Puri.
Hanumanji rendered unparalleled service to Lord Shri Ram. In the Mahabharata war fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas in Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna was the charioteer of Arjuna and Hanumanji served by sitting on top of the chariot. Hanumanji is immortal and in honour of his unparalleled service, the first Kankotri of Lord Jagannathji's Rath Yatra is written to Ram devotee Hanumanji.
We write Kankotri in Hanumanji's temple in the premises of Lord Jagannathji and only after that we write Kankotri to everyone else. This tradition has been going on since the first Rath Yatra started in Ahmedabad. In this way, in the world famous Rath Yatra of Jagannathji that starts from Puri in Odisha, Ram devotee Hanumanji is invited first.
Lakhs of devotees participate in the Rath Yatra
The boatmen brothers work to push the chariot of Subhadraji. The Rath Yatra is attended by lakhs of devotees from far and wide. The flag of Hanumanji is hoisted on the chariot of Jagannath. Hanumanji, a devotee of Lord Ram who serves Lord Shri Ram continuously, is invited to join the Rath Yatra by remembering his name. This is a tradition to celebrate Hanumanji's unparalleled devotion towards Lord Shri Ram and has been maintained for years.