Women power at work in Puri Rath yatra
Baripada (Orissa): It's a tug of equality. For women in the small town of Baripada that has come alive during the Jagannath rath yatra, pulling the chariot of goddess Subhadra is as much about empowerment as it is about tradition.
The Hindu chariot festival is observed in many parts of India, with mostly men doing the tugging, but in Baripada it is a unique affair because there women have the exclusive right of pulling the chariot of goddess Subhadra - the sister of Lord Jagannath - in an act considered sacred.
"It is exciting to see a sea of women pulling the ropes of goddess Subhadra's chariot. Nowhere can one find a chariot festival exclusively for women," said Sanchita Ganguly, a devotee from West Bengal who makes it a point to attend the festival every year.
Baripada is situated some 120 km from state capital Bhubaneswar. The annual procession - the biggest of which takes place for 10 days in the Orissa town of Puri - is a celebration of Lord Jagannath's mythical journey from Dwarka to Kurukshetra along with his sister Subhadra and brother Balabhadra. The festival began on Wednesday.
Text: IANS
Images: AP
Image: Women in Orissa's Baripada town pulling the chariot of goddess Subhadra during the ongoing chariot festival. (IANS Photo )
Glimpses of Puri Rath Yatra
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