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Published : 27 Jun 2025, 10:08 PM
The annual Hindu festival of Rath Yatra, celebrating the Lord Jagannath, has commenced in Dhaka with vibrant festivities and traditional rituals including Harinam Sankirtan and an Agnihotra prayer for world peace and prosperity.
The colourful procession was launched on Friday afternoon from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in Swamibagh after the religious rites took place.
To ensure the event’s security, members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Detective Branch (DB), and SWAT teams were visibly deployed along the procession route.
Army and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel were also seen providing security at Dhakeshwari Temple.
On Jul 5, the ninth day of the festival, Jagannath’s chariot will return from Dhakeshwari Temple to the ISKCON Swamibagh Ashram, following the same route.
Among devotees, this return journey is known as the “Ulto Rath Yatra” or Reverse Chariot Festival.
Between the two processions, ISKCON’s Swamibagh Ashram has scheduled a range of daily religious and cultural events from 8am to 7pm.
THE ORIGINS OF RATH YATRA
According to Hindu mythology, once Subhadra, the sister of Krishna and Balaram, expressed a desire to tour the city.
To fulfil her wish, the two brothers built a grand chariot, and the three siblings embarked on a journey.
Midway, they stopped at their aunt’s house in Gundicha and stayed there for seven days. On the ninth day, they returned to Puri, completing the city tour.
Since then, this chariot journey has been commemorated annually.
Traditionally, Balaram’s chariot leads the procession, followed by Subhadra’s in the middle and Jagannath’s at the rear.
This grand celebration takes place each year on the month of Ashar, according to the Hindu calendar.
