Rath Yatra 2026

Celebrate with an AI Portrait

Step into the spirit of the sacred journey. Upload your photo and receive a personalised Rath Yatra portrait — a digital keepsake to cherish and share.

Rath Yatra celebration

Why participate

Three reasons to join the celebration

01

Receive divine blessings

Celebrate the sacred journey of Lord Jagannath and embrace the spirit of faith, hope and prosperity that Rath Yatra brings to millions of devotees.

02

Create your festival portrait

Transform your festive spirit into a beautifully crafted Rath Yatra–themed AI portrait, and take home a unique digital keepsake.

03

Share the joy of togetherness

Celebrate unity, devotion and new beginnings by sharing your portrait and festive wishes with family and friends.

Mysteries of the Jagannath Temple

Ten wonders that still have no explanation

Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha is among the most revered temples in India, where Lord Krishna is worshipped as Lord Jagannath alongside his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and younger sister Devi Subhadra. Historians, scientists, priests and devotees have tried for years to explain what happens here — and much of it remains a mystery.

The flag defies the wind

The flag atop the temple flutters against the direction of the wind. Every day for 1,800 years, a priest has climbed the shikhara — as tall as a 45-storey building — with bare hands and no safety gear to change it. Skip the ritual for a single day, it is said, and the temple stays shut for 18 years.

Idols that are reborn

The idols are carved from wood and replaced during Nabakalebara, once every 8, 12 or 19 years. Sacred neem trees are chosen to rigid specifications, and selected carpenters carve in secrecy over 21 days. The old idols are buried near Koili Vaikuntha. The last Nabakalebara was in 2015.

The temple casts no shadow

No matter the hour, no matter where the sun sits in the sky, the temple casts no shadow. Whether it is an architectural feat or something else remains unknown.

Abadha Mahaprasad

The Mahaprasad is offered in five phases and consists of 56 delicacies — the dry sukhila and the shankhudi of rice, dal and more. Devotees can receive it at Ananda Bazaar within the temple premises.

Seven pots, top one first

Thousands of priests cook the Mahaprasad over firewood in seven earthen pots stacked one above the other. The food in the topmost pot cooks first, followed by the rest — another riddle no one has solved.

The sea falls silent

Step inside the temple and the sound of the sea disappears. Myth holds that Devi Subhadra wished for the temple to be a place of serenity, and to please her, the temple mutes the waves.

Nothing flies above it

Birds circle the skies and rest on treetops everywhere — but not above this dome. No bird, no aircraft passes over the temple. There is no logical explanation yet.

The chakra always faces you

The wheel of fortune atop the temple weighs about a tonne. From any height, from any point in Puri, it always appears to face the viewer. How 12th-century builders lifted something so heavy that high is a mystery in itself.

The prasad never runs out

Lakhs of pilgrims arrive each year, far more on Rath Yatra days. Yet the same quantity of food is cooked daily — none is ever wasted, and no devotee goes unfed.

The sea breeze runs backwards

On most coasts the breeze blows inland by day and out to sea by evening. In Puri, it happens in reverse.

How it works

Create your personalised AI portrait in four simple steps

1

Enter your name

Tell us who the portrait is for

2

Enter your mobile number

One portrait per number

3

Upload your photo

A clear, single-person photo

4

Verify and submit

Your portrait is ready in moments

Create your portrait

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Each mobile number is eligible for one AI portrait.

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Photo upload instructions
  • Only upload a human face or picture.
  • Maximum file size 5 MB.
  • Upload a clear photograph.
  • Only a single person's photo is allowed — group photos are not accepted.
  • Ensure the face is clearly visible and unobstructed.
  • Each registered mobile number is eligible for one AI portrait.
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