Ratha

Ratha (Sanskrit: chariot) has two principal meanings in UPSC context: (1) In ancient warfare and the Vedic ashvamedha ritual, a ratha is a two-wheeled horse-drawn war chariot, the elite weapon-system of the Mahajanapada period; the chariot corps (ratha-sena) was one of the four classical divisions of the army (chaturanga). (2) In South Indian temple architecture, a ratha is a stone or wooden processional chariot used during temple festivals to carry the deity's processional image (utsava murti) through the streets; the Rath Yatra at Puri, where three massive wooden rathas carry the images of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, is the most celebrated example.