BARIPADA: Women pulling the chariot of Goddess Subhadra during Rath Yatra in Baripada is a sight to behold. The unique practice lends the town’s car festival, that continues for 13 days, a unique identity.
Vivekananda Patnaik, former Collector and district magistrate of Baripada, had proposed that women should pull the chariot of Goddess Subhadra to mark International Women’s Year celebration back in 1975. Eminent women leaders like Indumati Pati, Chandrika Mohapatra and Kalpana Sarangi responded to this unique plan and came forward to start the tradition.
“It is a privilege for the women devotees to pull the chariot of Devi Subhadra. The unique ritual is famous across the world,” said Rajya Sabha member Sarojini Hembram, who was among the thousands who pulled the chariot of the Goddess on Sunday.
According to Kameswar Tripathy, the servitor of Devi Subhadra, all rituals, including ‘Mangala Arati’ and ‘Abakash,’ were performed in the morning while ‘Danda Bhugo’ was offered to the Trinity at noon. It was followed by ‘Baligandeswar Puja’, which was performed in front of Baligondeswar temple where the chariots of Lord Bhalabhadra and Devi Subhadra were halted for a few minutes as per tradition.
As many as 25 platoons of police along with 3 DSPs, 11 inspectors, 14 sub-inspectors and 43 assistant sub-inspectors and 200 home guards were engaged at Grand Road for the Rath Yatra. The overall security was monitored by DIG (Eastern Range) Amitendra Sinha, Collector Vineet Bhardwaj and SP Awinash Kumar.
The town is also famous for its Lord Jagannath Temple, known as Haribaldev Temple, which was built by Maharaja Baidyanath Bhanja in 1575 AD. The temple is a symbol of religious fervour of the Bhanja rulers of Mayurbhanj, regarded as ‘Queen Monad’ among the princely States before it was merged with the Indian Union.
The temple has also come to represent the various glorious contributions of the Bhanj rulers, whose patronage had witnessed architecture of a very high order.