Patiagarh's Rath Yatra Makes Triumphant Return After 78 Years, Reviving Tradition and Community Spirit
BHUBANESWAR: A strong urge to revive age-old traditions and preserve culture inspired the villagers of Patiagarh in the city to resume Rath Yatra in 2010 at their 18th-century Jagannath Temple.
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They feel proud to have revived this festival after a gap of 78 years.
The revival of this intangible cultural heritage shows the importance of the festival among the villagers. They ensure the festival is organised every year peacefully, smoothly, and without any error.
Adwait Charan Champati, former Managing Trustee of the Sri Jagannath Temple Trust Board, Patia, said they first conducted research on the rituals and rules of the Rath Yatra before working on the revival of this festival in their temple.
'The whole village was excited to start Rath Yatra in our village,' he added. He said they discussed in detail the height of the chariot and the length and breadth of the grand road of around 400 metres to be used for the annual sojourn of the sibling deities from Jagannath Temple to Mausima Temple (Sri Gundicha Ghar Gopinath Deb Mandir) located in the heart of Patiagarh village.
'It took one and a half months to construct the chariot for the Rath Yatra.
Batakrushna Moharana of Old Town in the city built this. We faced several challenges during the construction of the chariot in 2010, but everything was solved with the divine intervention of the god,' he recalled.
Rajaguru Kartik Prasad Tripathy, the Managing Trustee of the Sri Jagannath Temple Trust Board, Patia, mentioned that the construction of the chariot began on
.
'The structure of the chariot remains the same, but its weak parts are replaced every year.
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The villagers are eagerly preparing to celebrate the festival this year with great devotion,' he added.
The event attracts thousands of visitors from the surrounding areas who come to witness the pulling of the chariot. 'We also organise singing, dancing, and other cultural programmes in the village between Rath Yatra and Niladri Bije of the sibling deities. As this is the most important festival of our locality, we give utmost priority to this event every year,' he added.
Ananta Charan Mishra, priest of Patia Jagannath Temple, said he feels lucky to get an opportunity to take part in the festival as a priest in the temple. 'Though we have to work very hard on the day of Rath Yatra, it is worth working hard. I enjoy my work and love serving Lord Jagannath and his siblings,' he added.
Mamata Jena, 50, of the village, never misses the Rath Yatra in the village. 'The chariot of the lords is decorated with artworks and colourful clothes very beautifully. We eagerly wait for Rath Yatra every year to have darshan of the deities on the chariot. I cannot express my feelings of the darshan in words. Rath Yatra has a special place in my heart because of its surreal experience,' she added.
Another villager, Rajendra Prasad Mohanty, said this religious festival has kept them united. 'We are happy that we are continuing this rich culture. It has immense importance in our lives as villagers," he added.
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