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| Woman Power During Rath Yatra | |
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by Sarojini Nayak |
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| Lord Jagannath appeared to the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj in his dreams and directed him to return to Baripada, build a temple and organise a car festival there. | |
 Once
again, it is that time of the year when the three reigning deities
of the Jagannath Temple go for their annual sojourn in their aunt’s
house and preparations for the joyous yatra—popularly known as the Rath
Yatra—are in full swing. Lord Jagannath’s Car Festival is not limited to
the temple town of Puri. Jagannath temples situated in other places also
observe this festival with great pomp and religious fervour.
In Orissa, the second biggest car festival, next to Puri, is the one held in Baripada, where the most unique feature is that only women pull the chariot of goddess Subhadra. There is an interesting story as to how this trend began. Several decades ago, some time during the mid-Fifties, a woman devotee was severely injured while trying to tug (or perhaps, just touch the ropes) of one of the chariots. A Good Samaritan, who rescued her from being trampled to death, was moved by the plight of the women devotees. They wanted to be blessed and be freed from their sins by pulling the Lord’s chariot, but because of the huge crowds, many refrained from participating in the ritual. He requested the district administration and made a proposal of giving the prerogative of pulling Subhadra’s chariot exclusively to women. The proposal was accepted and the women happily pulled the chariot. This trend was discontinued for a few years and revived again in 1975. According to another version, this trend began in 1975 when the country was in the grip of emergency. Then, Orissa had a woman chief minister (Nandini Satpathy) and the district officials implemented this novel trend to make a "right" political move. Whatever may be the motive, this trend not only continues in Baripada, but has now spread to other places such as Hindol and Cuttack. Last year, women devotees in Cuttack pulled the chariot with much fanfare. Women take an active part in the festival, making the yatra more vibrant and colourful. The Rath Yatra in Baripada is a three-day affair and different in several ways from the one held in Puri. For instance, all the three chariots are not pulled on the same day. On the first day, only "pahandi" takes place, when the deities are brought out and installed on the chariot. On the second day, Balabhadra’s chariot is pulled and taken to Gundicha temple, while Subhadra’s chariot is drawn and left half way. On the third day, first Subhadra’s chariot is pulled to Gundicha temple and lastly, Jagannath’s chariot is drawn. The same practice is followed when the chariots return, popularly known as "Bahuda Yatra." There are two legends regarding the origin of the Jagannath Temple in Baripada. According to one legend, the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj fell ill while on his way to Puri to witness the Car Festival. Lord Jagannath appeared to him in his dreams and directed him to return to Baripada, build a temple and organise a car festival there. This temple is said to have been built sometime between 1575-1580 AD, following the divine direction. However, another legend has it that the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj was not accorded a reception befitting his royal status during his visit to Puri for the Rath Yatra. He was so enraged that he resolved to build a Jagannath temple in his own kingdom and hold car festivals. In fact, even the chariots were identical to those made in Puri. But, on the advice of royal priests, he reduced the height of the chariots, so as not to draw the wrath of Lord Jagannath. It is indeed a spectacular sight to see women and young girls tugging at the ropes of the chariots. Many of them come to Baripada every year from different parts of Orissa and adjoining West Bengal. Residents of Baripada take great pride in this variation—women pulling chariots—and say that this trend signifies the emancipation of women and depicts their active participation in social affairs. |
