With Digha as Rathyatra focal point, Bengal showcases its brand of peaceful religiosity

Kolkata: Rathyatras held across Bengal on Friday with the one at Digha Jagannath temple at its epicentre showcased the non-aggressive tradition of the Hindu religion — distinct from the Ram Navami processions in Howrah and elsewhere in the state marked with the brandishing of swords and lathis.Across Bengal, the number of chariots swelled this time — from one or two to six and seven at each place — and all the rallies recorded huge footfall. This was seen not only at Digha, but at all traditional spots — Cooch Behar's Madan Mohan temple, Malda, East Midnapore's Mahishadal, Sutahata, Tamluk and Mecheda, Mahesh and Chandernagore in Hooghly, Barasat in North 24 Parganas, Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas, and of course Kolkata.The festive spirit united all, across gender and social strata, as chariots rolled down the streets. While Dona Ganguly is set to perform Odishi with her troupe in the ‘Ulto Rath' mela on July 3, women in Cooch Behar danced to tunes of DJ as they scrambled to touch the ropes of the rath.In Mahishadal, royal family member Haraprasad Garg said the organisers were overwhelmed with the participation of women and youngsters at the event this year. "The crowd this year has broken all records. The participation of women was significant. I have come to know that some were injured in a stampede during the rathyatra," Garg said.Mahesh Jagannath Temple chief priest Piyal Adhikari endorsed the view. "The GT Road stretch close to our temple was choked as people who could not make it to Digha came to us," he said.In Bengal, where people breathe politics into every incident, men in para addas are now busy calculating which party — Trinamool or BJP — would gain out of religious processions in the state. As of now, no Chinese wall separates those participating in the Ram Navami processions and Friday's Rathyatras. In fact, there is an overlap of participants — the bottom line being they are all Hindus.It is believed that Lord Jagannath comes down from the temple during this time of the year and goes for an annual visit to his birthplace along with his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. The servitors to this occasion are dalapatis, non-Brahmins who break the rigorous caste hierarchy. During his journey, Lord Jagannath halts at his maternal aunt's place and has sweet pancakes. The sweet story mingles beautifully with Bengal's culture, showcasing how Lord Jagannath was Bengal's own. Just like Lord Rama ruling the hearts of those from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, through culture and legends.The Bengal CM walked the extra mile by taking Lord Jagannath to remote villages from where people couldn't reach the yatras. Mamata Banerjee has sent a photograph of Lord Jagannath and the Lord's prasad to every household in Bengal. BJP and RSS could manage to take a few thousands from Bengal to the Ayodhya's Ram Mandir.Bengal BJP netas, who claim themselves to be the sole representatives of Hindus, have questioned religious credentials of Digha temple. Suvendu Adhikari even announced he would fetch the ‘mahaprasadam' from Puri and distribute it among devotees. In other words, BJP netas couldn't ignore Digha's grand rath showcase. Former Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had even attended the temple's opening. Interestingly, many TMC netas had taken out their own Ram Navami processions.While a section of political observers maintains that since participants are all Hindus, religious processions might consolidate sentiments and they might choose the party that has called itself the protector of Hindus. The majority, however, gives a clear advantage to Banerjee for choosing a religious motif close to hearts and taking everyone along. They believe that Lord Ram may not have much of an impact in the land of Goddess Durga, Maa Kali, and Lord Jagannath.(With inputs from Subhro Maitra, Suman Mandal, Falguni Banerjee)

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