Rath Yatra celebrated in Tripura

Tripura has celebrated Rath Yatra (Chariot festival) with religious fervour and gaiety.

In capital Agartala the main function took place in the Jagannath Temple where hundreds of thousands of devotees thronged to pull the Chariot of Lord Jagannath.  

In the year 1905, Maharaj Radha Kishore Manika had built this Jagannath temple which is east facing like the famous Jagannath temple of Puri in Odisha.

The deities in this temple were also brought from Puri and the festival here started more than 110 years ago.

In Tripura, after Durga Puja the biggest gathering of people is seen during the Rath Yatra that takes place in the Bengali month of Ashar or Sraban every year.

People from various religions participate in the festivity.

“This festival is celebrated here right from the days of royal era. Though the size of the chariot is getting smaller now, the people’s participation has increased. On the occasion children also pull minuscule chariots,” said Ashok Deb, a devotee who came 65 km from Udaipur to take part in the festival.

Hindus regard Jagannath, which means the keeper of the universe, as an incarnation of Vishnu.

The annual procession is a symbolic celebration of Jagannath's weeklong journey from Kurukshetra to Vrindavan to visit his maternal aunt’s house along with his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhodra some 5,000 years ago.  

In Tripura people irrespective of their religion participate in the Rath Yatra festival, which is a symbol of secularism in this once kingly ruled state.  

This festival is being celebrated in the state since the reign of Manikya dynasty that ruled the state for more than 500 years. One of the kings of dynasty started it after bringing the deities form Puri.