Bengal celebrates Rath Yatra festival with fervour

KOLKATA: Bengal celebrated Rath Yatra with much enthusiasm amidst the chants of “Hare Krishna” and “Jai Jagannath”, resonating in the air.

Thousands of devotees revelled as the decorated chariots of Lord Jagannath accompanied by Lord Balaram and Goddess Subhadra threaded their way through in various places of Bengal on Tuesday.

People thronged on roads and went up to rooftops to have a glance of their beloved Lord Jagannath, as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) marked the 51st edition of the chariot festival in the state capital.

Many foreign devotees and nearly a lakh of people from the city and districts braved the torrid weather to get an opportunity to pull the cart of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and Goddess Subhadra at ISKCON’s headquarters at Mayapur in Nadia district.

This year, the Rath Yatra of Mahesh at Hooghly district’s Serampore marked the 626th edition of the festival while chanting of holy names reverberated as thousands of devotees pulled the decked-up chariots at Mahishadal in East Midnapore.

The Mahesh Rath Yatra is considered to be the second-oldest chariot festival in the world and the oldest in Bengal, having been celebrated since 1396.

Thousands of jolly faces bubbling with enthusiasm including a large number of children, women, and even elders who could barely walk pushed aside all difficulties and divisions of caste, creed, colour, and religion and flocked to be a part of the annual festivities.

Chariots were taken out in many other parts of Kolkata by various organisations. Children took out small chariots across the state. “On the auspicious day of Rath Yatra, praying to Lord Jagannath for everlasting peace, prosperity, good health and happiness for all,” said an enthusiastic participant who joined Iskcon’s Kolkata programme. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed good wishes to all the people on the occasion of Rath Yatra.