17th-Century Temple: Lord Jagannath in Ranchi

The Jagannathpur Temple, situated on Nilanchal, a living mountain in Ranchi, Jharkhand, was constructed in 1691. It was built by Thakur Ani Nath Shahdeo, the Nagvanshi king of the Barkagarh estate, modeled after the Jagannath Temple of Utkal Puri. The temple is surrounded by dense trees and flanked by ponds on three sides. A smaller temple, known as Mausi Badi, is located about 500 meters away. During the Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings Subhadra and Balabhadra, are carried on a grand chariot from the main temple to Mausi Badi.

The deities reside at Mausi Badi for 10 days, offering darshan to devotees. A 10-day Rath Mela (fair) is held on a 41.27-acre area between Mausi Badi and the main temple during the Puri Rath Yatra. The fair attracts a large number of devotees from Jharkhand and several other states. The contract for the historic Rath Mela at the Jagannathpur temple was secured with a bid of ₹51.51 lakh, a decrease from the previous year’s bid which exceeded ₹1.5 crore.

The Rath Yatra is scheduled from June 27, 2025, to July 6, 2025. A 40-foot high and 25-foot wide chariot, equipped with eight wheels, will be used. The deities will be bathed with 108 pitchers of cold water on the occasion of Jyestha Purnima. It is believed that Lord Jagannath and his siblings fall ill after this bath and go into isolation for 15 days for treatment. The Netradan (eye donation ceremony) of the deities will take place on June 26, 2025, followed by the grand Rath Yatra on June 27 in Ranchi.

The 10-day Rath Mela also commences with the Rath Yatra and concludes on July 6, 2025, with the Ghurti Rath Yatra, where the deities return to their original abode from Mausi Badi. The Rath Mela is a time for religious activities and the beginning of new relationships, including weddings and annaprashan (first feeding of solid food) ceremonies for newborns. Newlywed couples traditionally visit the Rath Yatra in their first year of marriage and offer their wedding turbans to the Lord, seeking a successful married life.