Mamata Banerjee Inaugurates Rath Yatra in Digha

Digha, June 27 (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the inaugural 'Rath Yatra' from the newly completed Jagannath temple in the coastal town of Digha on Friday. Amid chants of 'Joy Jagannath' by thousands of pilgrims, the Chief Minister, along with her cabinet colleagues, pulled the ropes of the chariots carrying Lord Jagannath and his siblings — Balabhadra and Subhadra — this afternoon. Making an appeal through a public address system, she encouraged devotees to touch the ropes of all three chariots from within the barricades along the 750-metre procession route that stretches from the main temple to the deities' aunt's residence. On the preceding day, the Chief Minister had emphasized that no one would be permitted to crowd the street to pull the ropes of the sibling deities' chariots. Earlier in the day, Banerjee ceremonially swept the road in front of the three chariots with a golden broom and performed 'arati' for the deities, adhering to traditional rituals. A group of children from ISKCON devotees abroad performed to the tunes of Madhab’s rock band, earning applause from those gathered. Around 40 ISKCON devotees, predominantly international, danced for hours in front of the chariots to the devotional chants of 'Hare Ram, Hare Krishna'. In a post on X, Banerjee noted that for years, people from various communities, religions, castes, and creeds have participated in the Rath Yatra festival across Bengal. "We believe everyone is entitled to their own faith and beliefs, but the message of every festival is universal—promoting amity and brotherhood," she expressed in her Bengali post, extending wishes for Rath Yatra.