AGARTALA, July 18: Lord Jaganth’s Rath Yatra, the grand annual festival symbolizing harmony, was celebrated with gaiety and fervour in Tripura on Saturday.
In capital Agartala, the main function took place in the Jaganth Temple where hundreds of thousands of devotees thronged to pull the Chariot of Lord Jaganth.
“In Tripura, after Durga Puja, the biggest gathering of people is for Rath Yatra. It takes place during the month of Ashar or Sraban and people from various religions participate here. People enjoy the festival forgetting their religion and children also bring out small chariots,” said Ashok Deb, a devotee who travelled 65 kilometers from Udaipur to take part in the festival. Jaganth, which means the keeper of the universe, is believed to be an incartion of the Hindu God Krish.
The annual procession symbolizes the celebration of Jaganth’s weeklong journey from Kurukshetra to Bindraban to visit his materl aunt’s house along with his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhodra some 5,000 years ago. “A large number of devotees participate in the Jaganth Rath Yatra that takes place annually. We have been enjoying this right from our childhood and every year the participation of people is increasing. Even people from outside also come to participate in the Rath Yatra here,” added Sabita Roy, another devotee. In Tripura, this festival took roots after a king of the Manikya dysty, that ruled the state for more than 500 years, started it. (ANI)