India

53rd Kolkata Rathyatra inaugurated by CM Mamata Banerjee: A 9-Day Celebration of  Culture , Togetherness , Unity and Harmony” 

By : PARTHA ROY 
 
West Bengal Chief Minister Smt. Mamata Banerjee  flags of  53rd Kolkata Rathyatra at ISKCON Temple on Albert Road in Kolkata on 7th July 2024 in presence of thousands of devotees of Bhagwan Jagannath  including   three Vice Presidents  of ISKCON – Radharaman Das ,Vallava Chaitanya Das ,Ananga Mohan Das ( Chairman of ISKCON’s  Kolkata Yatra )  and Dayaram Das ( Temple  President ). 
The founder Acharya of ISKCON,  Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, started the first Rathayatra under ISKCON banner in India and in Kolkata in 1972.  CM Mamata Banerjee inaugurated and  renamed a park with water body as ” Bhaktivedanta Swami Sarovar ” which was earlier known as Victoria Square under  Ward no 63 of The Kolkata Municipal Corporation ( KMC ) in presence of  local  Ward councillor  Smt. Susmita Bhattacharya  Chatterjee and other officials of KMC as well as monks and devotees . Bhaktivedanta Swami Sarovar is situated opposite ISKCON Temple on Albert Road.
 
CM Mamata Banerjee inaugurated  Adhyama Temple in Alipurduar in North Bengal using video conferencing technology.  
 
Despite heavy rain  , thousands of  devotees of Bhagwan Jagannath , Baladev , Subhadra Devi  participated to  pull three chariots of three divine entities .  Make shift  Temple   has been  constructed at TAI Parade Ground  near Park Street where chariots were taken  which are temporary abode  Bhagwan Jagannath ,Baladev and Subhdra Devi and Sudarshan Chakra  . 
The theme of this year’s Rathayatra is 150th Birth Anniversary of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada Maharaj, the founder-acharya of Gaudiya Matha and the guru of ISKCON’s founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada Maharaj planted the seed of ISKCON in the heart of young Abhay Charan Dey, who later became His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and started the worldwide Hare Krishna movement, known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness or “ISKCON.”  

In Bengal , Odisha , Bihar  and other states in  Eastern India ,Rathyatra is part of rich Hindu religion & cultural heritage  for centuries especially for followers of Vaishnavism. In Kolkata, and across Bengal , as well as in Odisha, Bihar , Assam and  other states ,  Rathyatra  was taken out  followers  Bhagwan Jagannath . In Kolkata ‘s Bhowanipore area , Councillor of Ward  no.70 of KMC , Shri Ashim Bose is organising Rathyatra and Jagannath Dev puja and puja of other deities at Subash Udyan . 

Ratha Yatra processions have been historically common in Vishnu-related (Jagannath, Krishna ,Rama ) traditions in Hinduism across India. Rathyatra begins on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya and
ends on Ashadha Shukla Dashami as per Hindu calendar.

 Rathyatra Celebration will conclude with Ulta Rathyatra on Monday 15th July 2024. 

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