CM oversees Ulta Rath plans, takes part in special puja
The Statesman | 4 July 2025
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee conducted arati and took part in special puja of Lord Jagannath and his siblings this afternoon.
She visited the temporary mashir bari (aunt’s house) set up by the ISKCON at Brigade Parade Ground this afternoon. The return journey of the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, known as Ulta Rath will be held on Saturday.
As per rituals, Lord Jagannath stays at his aunt’s house for seven days. During the stay of Lord Jagannath, cultural programmes are being held daily along with discourses on Indian philosophy, Bhagvatam and the Gita by scholars. Kirtans and bhajans are sung and special puja are held daily.
Miss Banerjee offered fruits and sweets and chanted mantras and performed arati and later visited the stalls around the place.
Miss Banerjee, who used to pull the rope of the rath of ISKCON, could not do so this year as she was busy in Digha Jagannath temple. The temple has attracted lakhs of people since its inauguration on 30 April. All the accommodation in Digha had been sold during the Rath Yatra. The temple has been constructed by the Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO). Local people said the business in Digha has gone up six to eight times following the building of the temple. The coastal town has become an important pilgrimage.
The ISKCON rath will start from the designated mashir bari on Saturday afternoon and reach the temple on Albert Road via Jawaharlal Nehru Road, SP Mukherjee Road, Asutosh Mukherjee Road, Hazra Road, Sarat Bose Road. The devotees will sing bhajans and dance during the journey. Hundreds of people stand on either side of the road to have a darshan of the rath.
The ISKCON rath is more than five decades old. Now, Rath Yatra is held in New York, London, Berlin, Paris and Moscow.