Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada writes at length regarding Mahesh Jagannath temple and its Rath Yatra in his commentary to Chaitanya Charitamrta (Adi lila ,11.24 purport). The temple, situated near Serampore in West Bengal, has a very beautiful history. There once lived a devotee named Dhruvananda who prayed to the lordships ,Sri Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra at Jagannath Puri, desiring to offer them the food that he had cooked with his own hands. However the devotees at puri informed him that offering of such outside food to the Lordships was not allowed there. Feeling dejected , Dhruvananda began fasting and decided to put an end to his life.Lord Jagannath then being greatly pleased with Dhruvananda, appeared in his dream and instructed him to go to a sacred place called Mahesh, on the bank of the River Ganges, and there start His worship. Dhruvananda left immediately and on reaching Mahesh, found the three deities of Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra floating upon the Ganges water. Mahesh, during those days was a jungle full of carnivorous animals.
Dhruvananda was overwhelmed and installed the deities in his small cottage at Mahesh and started worshipping them there. He could now offer them the food that he had cooked himself . Lord Jagannath is very merciful towards His devotees. We have observed a very similar pastime at Navadvipa wherein Lord Jagannatha had showered His causeless mercy upon a devotee named Jagadish Ganguly and subsequently manifested His divine deity form. (‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ has covered this pastime in a separate article entitled – ‘Lord Jagannatha at Rajapur , Navadvipa (Simantadvipa)’).