Completedreligious
Rukuna Rath Yatra (Lingaraj)
Lingaraj Temple → Rameswara Temple, Old TownThu, 26 March 2026 – Mon, 30 March 2026
About this festival
Bhubaneswar's own thousand-year-old chariot festival — older than Puri's Rath Yatra — held on Ashokastami. The representative deity Lord Chandrashekhar, with Rukmini and Basudev, rides the Rukuna Ratha from Lingaraj Temple along Lingaraj Temple Road to the Rameswara Temple, stays four days, and returns with the Bahuda Yatra on the fifth day (30 March). The chariot pull (Ratha Tana) begins around 2:30 PM after the morning rituals.
Traveller tip
The chariot pull (Ratha Tana) starts around 2:30 PM on Ashokastami after the morning Pahandi rituals. Best vantage is the Lingaraj Temple Road near the North Gate as the Rukuna Ratha begins its run to the Rameswara Temple.
Essentials
Thu, 26 March 20266:00 am – Mon, 30 March 2026
Free to attend
OrganiserLingaraj Temple Managing Committee
ContactLingaraj Temple Office · +91-674-2530026
ParkingNo vehicle access along the procession route — park at Old Town parking & walk
Dress codeModest, footwear OK on the street.
PhotographyOutdoor street photography fully allowed; sanctum off-limits to non-Hindus.
AccessibilityLimited — temple sanctums have steep stone steps; older shrines lack wheelchair ramps.
Entry rulesThe chariot procession is fully public; viewing & photography of the pull from the street is permitted. The temple sanctum remains open to Hindus only.