West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday marked the beginning of the 55th annual Rath Yatra of the ISKCON in Kolkata by performing the sacred ‘Chhera Pahanra’ ritual and tugging the ceremonial rope of Lord Jagannath’s chariot.
The Chief Minister arrived at the ISKCON Temple on Albert Road, where he first performed a soulful ‘aarti’ of Radha Madhav. He then performed ‘Chhera Pahanra’-the traditional ritual of sweeping the path of the chariot with a golden broom-before joining hundreds of devotees to pull the rope tied to the chariot, symbolising the start of the Lord’s journey.
“Srila Prabhupada played a significant role in globalising the Rath Yatra and Indian cultural heritage across over 100 countries… I feel blessed as both a nationalist and a Sanatani, to be starting this Yatra in Kolkata, awaited by thousands of devotees, and performing the aarti of Radha Madhav… Srila Prabhupada’s house in Kolkata should be declared as a heritage site,” Adhikari told ANI.
The Chief Minister also lauded the socio-economic contributions of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), saying, ” ISKCON contributes majorly to health, education, and nutrition… we will work with them.”
The Jagannath Rath Yatra, one of India’s biggest and most revered religious festivals, is celebrated every year in Puri, Odisha. During the festival, Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra, is taken in grand chariots from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple. Lakhs of devotees gather to pull the towering chariots, believing it brings divine blessings and spiritual merit.
This year’s Rath Yatra – the 149th Rath Yatra – began on July 16, and the nine-day festival will conclude with the Bahuda Yatra on July 24. The deities are scheduled to ceremonially re-enter the Jagannath Temple on July 27.