Bengal CM inaugurates Kolkata Rath Yatra, festivities in Purba Medinipur

Kolkata/Tamluk (WB), Jul 16 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday inaugurated the Kolkata Rath Yatra organised by ISKCON, and participated in the festivities in Tamluk and Mecheda of Purba Medinipur district amid heavy downpour. Clad in a yellow kurta and white dhoti, Adhikari took part in ISKCON's Rath Yatra on Albert Road in south Kolkata, and ceremonially pulled the ropes of the chariot to mark the inauguration of the procession. "The historical Kolkata Rath Yatra has turned 71 this year. It has been a custom for West Bengal chief ministers to participate in it every year. I am lucky that I got the chance to inaugurate it. "I did an 'arati' of Radhamadhav ji. I feel proud to be a part of this great festival. I have come here several times earlier and paid my tribute to Prabhupada. This is a great opportunity for me. I pray that good prevails over evil," he said. At the ISKCON temple, Adhikari performed the 'mangal arati' of the deities. Adhikari said that the room of Srila Prabhupada in the ISKCON temple in Kolkata should get a 'heritage' tag. "I paid my respects at his room. We are constituting a Heritage Commission. Srila Prabhupada's room should get the tag," he said. Later, Adhikari visited the centuries-old Mahaprabhu temple at Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district, where he inaugurated the Rath Yatra and played the 'khol', the traditional drum used in Vaishnav kirtan. He also joined devotees in chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Addressing devotees, Adhikari said his participation in the festival was driven by faith rather than politics. "My political views, path or position have no connection with my presence here. I have been coming to this traditional Rath Yatra for more than ten years as a devotee. I am a Sanatani, a son of Bharat Mata, a disciple of Radha-Madhav, and I consider myself a servant of Lord Jagannath. That is why I participate in this Rath Yatra every year. I have a long association with this family, and they invite me every year," he said before flagging off the chariot. Rath Yatra celebrations were held across the state, including Mahesh and the Jagannath temple in Digha. Devotees from across the state visited Mahesh in Hooghly district to participate in the Rath Yatra, regarded as one of the oldest in the country. Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the event, which includes a sprawling fair that drew lakhs of visitors, officials said. Similar scenes were witnessed at the state government's Jagannath Cultural Centre at Digha in Purba Medinipur district built by the previous Mamata Banerjee government, with hundreds of people queuing since morning for a glimpse of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. Rath Yatras, along with fairs, were also held in Nadia, Bankura and Purulia districts. In Siliguri in north Bengal, thousands of people attended the Rath Yatra organised by ISKCON. The festival also marked the beginning of the Durga Puja preparations, with several community puja organisers performing 'khuti puja', the commencement of pandal construction. PTI SCH BSM SOM MNB ACD