Snana Yatra

Lord Jagannatha's beautiful snana yatra, bathing ceremony. Submitted by paramakaruna.
Now throughout the world, Lord Jagannātha is visible. By the grace of Śrīla Prabhupāda, he has established this Ratha-yatra festival so that everyone can actually see Lord Jagannātha in his original transcendental form. Someone may ask, "Why does Lord Jagannātha look so very extraordinary, and who is he?"
Lord Jagannātha is Kṛṣṇa, and his round eyes, his fixed arms, his rigid form represent the ecstasy of the Supreme Lord when he feels great ecstasy in the separation of his own devotees. Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared five thousand years ago in Vṛndāvana, and after a while he left Vṛndāvana and went to Dvārakā. So from Dvārakā, on one occasion he returned to the sacred place of Kuruksetra, and there was met by the Vṛndāvasis who reminded him of his childhood pastimes in Vṛndāvana. And when he remembered these pastimes, then he felt very overwhelmed and wanted to return with them.
So this form of Lord Jagannātha, this deity form, is not an idol but rather it is the authorized scriptural form of Lord Kṛṣṇa manifest in the material elements which we can see. We do not have eyes to see God. Therefore God, who is already everywhere and all-pervasive, manifests Himself according to the desire of His pure devotees within the form of wood. Therefore Lord Jagannātha is known as Dharu-Brahman, or the transcendental wooden form of the Lord.
Now the Ratha-yatra ceremony is an activity which precedes the Ratha-yatra festival. And at that time, Lord Jagannātha, on the plea of catching a cold, goes into retirement from the altar, and he is freshly painted, adorned, dressed to increase the feelings of separation of his devotees. And then finally on the last day he comes out of retirement, comes upon the Ratha, gives his darshan to everyone, and goes out into the public just to declare how much God loves us. This is actually the function of Ratha-yatra. Generally in this day and age, people do not go to the temple. So Jagannātha is coming out of the temple to show his love for his eternal service.