Ratha (Vedic Sanskrit: रथ, IAST: rátha; Avestan: raθa; Proto-Indo-Iranian: *Hrátʰas) is the Indo-Iranian term for a spoked-wheel chariot. The word has been employed since antiquity to denote both swift chariots and other wheeled conveyances drawn by animals or by humans.
In its earliest usage, the ratha was associated with the spoked-wheel chariot of the Indo-Iranian world, a vehicle linked with warfare, travel and ceremonial display. The shared vocabulary between Vedic Sanskrit and Avestan reflects the common Indo-Iranian heritage of the term, pointing to a long-standing tradition of wheeled transport among the speakers of these related languages.
In the Indian context, the meaning of the word has extended over time to include the large temple cars or processional carts that continue to be used in religious processions. These wheeled structures are employed to carry images of a deity through public streets during festival occasions, allowing devotees to participate in the procession as the temple car is drawn along its route. The ratha thus connects the older martial and ceremonial associations of the spoked-wheel chariot with the living tradition of temple processions.
The term remains in use in contemporary Indian religious practice, where the temple car continues to function as a mobile shrine during festivals associated with various Hindu traditions.