Lord Jagannath’s journey to his aunt’s place
Anchita Ghosh

Though ‘Rath Yatra’ or Chariot Festival is synonymous with Puri in Odisha, its close neighbour, Bengal is not left behind in the celebrations and grandeur around worshipping Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balarama and their sister Subhadra. It is a weeklong festival, when Lord Jagannath, Balarama and Devi Subhadra are evoked by the devotees. According to the rituals, the brother-sister trio visit their aunt’s house on the day of ‘Rath Yatra’, stays there for a week and return on the day of ‘Ulto Rath’ or return of the Chariot. This year, the Rath Yatra was celebrated from July 10-18.
In Bengal, the festival is celebrated with as much aplomb as neighbouring, Odisha, with small children seen pulling miniature chariots with small idols of the Lord and his siblings, at every nook and corner. This is in fact a month long affair with fairs being organised almost everywhere throughout West Bengal.
The Chariot Festival, however, in three districts of South Bengal needs special mention due to its ancient history and tourist attraction—the ‘Rath Yatras’ at Mahesh in Hooghly, ISKCON Mayapur in Nadia district and Mahishadal in East Midnapore.
Mahesh Rath Yatra
The Rath Yatra of Mahesh is the second oldest and biggest Chariot Festival in India after Puri and oldest in Bengal. It is being celebrated since 1396. Its famous history lays in the fact that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansha along with wife Maa Sharada and dramatist Girish Chandra Ghosh visited Mahesh.
There is again an interesting story behind the Rath Yatra. More than 600 years ago, one Dhrubananda Brahmachari, a poor priest, visited Puri and expressed his desire to offer Prasad (edible offerings) to Lord Jagannath but he was not allowed to do so by the local priests. Upset, he came back to Mahesh.
Then the Lord Himself appeared in his dreams and said that he can offer him Bhog, here in Mahesh itself. He would find a wooden log floating in Ganges, with which Lord Jagannath ordered him to carve out His idol along with Balarama’s and Subhadra’s. The sculptors also came swimming down Ganges, who crafted the idols. Then Dhrubananda established the Jagannath temple at Mahesh on the banks of River Bhagirathi. On request from his followers, he started the Rath Yatra.
Around 450 years ago, Sri Chaitanya reached Mahesh on His way to Neelachal (Puri), after taking sanyas. Dhrubananda was on his death bed then. After visiting Drubananda’s Temple, he took deep Samadhi. Later old Drubananda requested Him to take the charge of this Temple. On his request, He made, Kamalakar Piplai the fifth of Twelve Gopalas of Mahaprabhu, the Sebait or Mahanta of the Temple. After few days, Drubananda died.
His heirs still live in Mahesh and some in Kolkata as the Sebait or ‘Adhikary’ of the Temple.
But nor the Ratha neither the Temple of Kamalakar existed. The modern Temple was made by Nayanchand Mallik of Pathuriaghata, Kolkata in 1750 with a cost of Rs. 20,000.
Baidyabati’s Modak family donated the wood for the chariot. Since, it was destroyed, in 1797, Sri Ramakrishna’s famous disciple Balarama Basu’s grandfather, Krishnaram Basu donated another Ratha. It was later renewed by his son, Gurucharan Basu which burnt in 1835. Then his son Raibahadur Kalachand Basu made another Rath in 1852. Another Rath was built by his son Biswambhar Basu in 1857 but it was also burnt. Generations upon generations kept on providing the wooden chariot for the festival. As there were a number of cases, when the wooden chariot caught fire, finally Biswambhar’s younger brother, Dewan Krishnachandra Basu, ordered a 50 foot tall and 10 foot wide four-storey chariot made of iron from Martin Burn, some 128 years ago. The red-coloured chariot weighs 125 tons. It has 10 iron wheels and is made in traditional Bengali Nabaratna style that is it has nine churas (heads). This Ratha is still in use. Lord Jagannath is placed on top storey followed by Balaram and Subhadra.
There is a 50-foot tall wooden break as well apart from the traditional rope, which is blue and white in colour. A gun-salute is given following which the chariot stops. The chariot is also decorated with symbolic horses and swan, drawing the chariot.
Now the 617-year-old Mahesh Rath Yatra is organised by the Basu Family of Kolkata’s Shyambazar. It is a week-long festival and a grand fair is held. Nearly 2-3 lakh devotees  from different corners of the state and country throng here to have a share in pulling the long ropes (Roshi) attached to the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadra on the journey from the temple to Serampore Gundicha Bari and back. The footfall, this year was, however lower than the usual owing to the panchayat elections in the state.
Famous writer, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel ‘Radharani’ consists of a wonderful description of Mahesh Rath Yatra. The little blind heroine of the novel, Radharani got lost in the fair, and then found by her future lover. Bankim’s description gives a vivid picture of the festival.
Mayapur Rath Yatra
Another chariot festival, which has brought it on international scene, is the one organised by The International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Mayapur. Though ISKCON has taken over the Rath Yatra celebrations at Mayapur only in 1989, but the festival here is hundreds of years old. Three huge chariots of 35 foot, 36, foot and 31 foot are built respectively for Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Devi Subhadra. The rituals start 15 days ahead of the Rath Yatra with ‘Snan Yatra’ (Bathing festival), when hundreds of devotees throng the Rajpur temple, five kilometre from Mayapur, to bathe the Lords and their sister with water from Ganges, milk or fresh coconut water.
As per the customs, the Lord falls sick and takes rest for the next 15 days. On the day of Rath Yatra, they are adorned with new dresses, ornaments and flower garlands. After performing the puja and aarati at the Rajpur temple, the siblings are made
to board the chariots and they head for their aunt’s house at the Chandrodaya temple in Mayapur amidst a roaring kirtan and in big procession. Jagannatha-astaka is recited throughout the festival. They stay here for a week and go back on ‘Ulto Rath’.
This marks the weeklong celebration at Mayapur, where devotees irrespective of their religion and ethnicity, visit. As the public relationship officer (PRO) of ISKCON Mayapur, Ramesh Maharaj says, every day is marked with a morning prayer (mangal aarti) at 4.30 am followed by afternoon puja and bhog (food served to the lord) and in the evening, sandhya aarati or the evening prayer.
Maharaj says that the actual temple of Lord Jagannath, which is said to be around 500 years old, is located at Rajpur village. “Around 500 years ago, there was a temple of Lord Jagannath at the Rajpur village which got demolished by the ravages of time. But later that was built again. The ‘Rath Yatra’ was, however started by one Fortik Chattopadhaya,” said Maharaj.
As the story goes, he was a devout Jagannath devotee and used to visit Puri every year during the Chariot Festival. But as he grew old, his body gave up and was unable to visit Puri. He then prayed to the Lord himself, who assured him in his dreams that he would accept his devotions and ordered him to start a ‘Rath Yatra’ of his own.
The Lord also told him about a wooden log, which he used to come across while bating in Ganges, every morning and rejected, thinking it to be a piece of wood from some pyre. Lord Jagannath asked him to pick up the piece of wood and take it to a person suffering from leprosy, who stayed nearby for carving out Lord Balaram’s, Subhadra’s and His idols. But the person rejected his offer citing his physical handicap.
When Fortik told him about the divine order, the person readily agreed and started casting the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Goddess Subhadra. In the due course, he started recovering and by the time, the idols were completed, the man was completely cured of leprosy. Thus Fortik started the festival and his heirs continued the tradition till 1989, when ISKCON took over the celebrations.
Now the festival is internationally acclaimed with thousands of devotees and visitors from every corner of the World visiting this small hamlet located 135 kilometres from Kolkata. On the first and last day of the festival, several dignitaries including the administrative heads, artists and politicians also participate in the celebrations. Several cultural programmes are also organised by the authorities to mark the festival.

Maharaj added that there are 180 places all over the world, where ISKCON celebrates the Rath Yatra including USA, Russia and Japan. The dates in other countries, however, vary according to the suitability of the nationals, not necessary on the auspicious days in the Bengali month of asharh (June-July), as observed in India.
He again says that a unique feature of Mayapur’s Chariot Festival is that devotees from every community participate, making it a symbol of communal harmony, which Lord Krishna, Himself preached. “The place being a minority stronghold, even people from the community pray together along with their Hindu brothers,” said Maharaj.
Again a story goes that once a Muslim rickshaw puller denied Lord’s Prasad. The Lord came in his dreams the very night and reasoned him. Early next morning, he took fruits from his garden and went to the temple to pray to Lord Jagannath. Henceforth, every household of Rajpur village offers the first bearings of their small courtyard gardens to the Lord, irrespective of their religion.
Thus the festival sets a good example of communal harmony in today’s world of hatred and revenge.
Maharaj, however, says that the footfall of the tourists is larger during Holi when ‘Doljatra’ is celebrated at Mayapur, owing to the weather.
Mahishadal Rath Yatra   
Another famous Rath Yatra of Bengal is of Mahishadal Rajbari in East Midnapore district. It was started during the reign of Rani Janaki of Mahishadal Rajbari (royal palace) in 1776.
The chariot is however newly constructed, as it was burnt during Diwali in 2011. But the royal family has tried its best to keep the 237 years of glory intact. The heritage of the chariot is so rich that it can be known by the fact that once artists from China had come to decorate the chariot, most probably in 1861.
As per the rituals, some or the other member of the royal family accompanies the chariot followed by thousands of devotees who had thronged this year like every year.
Though the royalty doesn’t exist anymore after the dispersal of the royal titles, but this is the time of the year, when the eldest member from the family, mostly known as the ‘King’ by the locals, appears amidst the common men.
The present director of Mahishadal royal palace, Saurya Prasad Garg says that the ‘Rath Yatra’ is quite famous and they are still trying to maintain the age old splendour of the chariot festival.
The members of the Mahishadal royal family said that the festival is organised by the Haldia Development Board, Mahishadal panchayat samity and the district administration jointly. This year at least 20-25 odd workers have taken the task of renovating the chariot with 13 crowns. Earlier, it had 17 crowns. The colour scheme is blue and white, keeping in tune with the one chosen since 1988. That year, the authorities had depicted ancient mythological stories through paintings inside the chariot.
There are two white horses conjoined in front of the chariot. The addition was made in 1922 during the reign of Raja Satiprasad Garg. A local artist, Madhav Chandra Dey had carved the horses for the chariot. The 40 foot tall chariot moves on 34 wheels wrapped in iron sheets, each weighing 350kgs.
The pillars in the outer part of the chariot are known as ‘Barsha’. The chisels are known as ‘the chain of death’. One such chisel is also preserved in London Victoria and Albert museum.
Apart from Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra, the family deity of Mahishadal Royal family, Gopalji is also kept inside the chariot during the festival.
Apart from the three well-known chariot festivals of Bengal, there are in fact, hundreds of small and large Raths being pulled on the day by the devotees. The day also marks the starting of Bengal’s greatest festival, Durga Puja with ‘Kathamo Puja’ (beginning of carving the Deity’s idol).