Rath Yatra 🐘🐘🚩

 In 2023- the day of Jagannath Dev's chariot journey today i.e. on Tuesday (20th June) in the evening. In all the public Rath Utsavs across Calcutta today, i.e. called as Big Rathyatras, the huge gathering & chariot's smooth run, government arrange good police force. These rathas with the three presiding deities (Jagannath, Balaram and Devi Subhadra) going to aunt's house - for seven days. Apart from the chariots of the original old zamindar houses, the chariots of Mahesh, Hooghly and the chariots of the ISKCON temples are also very famous in Kolkata as such.

My house is in the northern part of the main Kolkata, in the area of ​​the former Sutanuti village - Baranagar. The name of this place was in the local geography even 500 years ago and even on the map of Calcutta since then. It was at this Baranagar that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came,  on his way to Puri, by crossing the Ganges by boat from Panihati (then Peneti).
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486 AD – 1533 AD) was a popular Vaishnava monk and religious guru from India and a prominent social reformer of the 16th century. Sri Raghunath Upadhyaya was then living in Baranagar, to whom Sri Chaitanya came primarily to listen to his Sanskrit recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam. On the banks of the Ganga, Raghunath lived in a dilapidated cottage. Like other days, while, Raghunath Upadhyay was reciting Sri Bhagavatam inside the house, Sri Chaitanya Dev moved into his house. On lustening to the Bhagavatam recitation, Sri Caitanya immediately gone to trance and got unconscious. After regaining consciousness, he immediately conferred the title of "Bhagavatacharya" on Raghunath Upadhyay. Ordered that, henceforth, it would be his duty to maintain this naam-gaan lesson for all time. With the blessings of the Supreme Lord and the efforts of Raghunath, the Pathbari Ashram was established. Name chanting is going on 24 hours a day and night in this ashram since then. Sri Jagannath Dev's Rath Yatra was also started in this ashrama, gradually in the middle of 1800s. Even today that Rath Yatra continues. The two lines of naam- gaan is
"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Ram Hare Ram,
Ram Ram Hare Hare" 

Earlier, on Rath Yatra occassion, fairs were held in these regions. On the day of Jagannath's chariot, according to the old belief, there must be a little rain. On that rain-soaked Rath festival, panpar was fried, the timely fair food. Some believe that during or before rain, the sound of clouds help the cracking of snake's eggs. Even today in the 21st century, we are not completely free from those sanskara.
The fesyival of Rath Yatra is mostly a celebration of puja bhakti. In his story Rathayatra, written by Rabindranath in the eighteenth century, the same was observed.
STORY:
Rath Yatra - written by Rabindranath Tagore

The day of the chariot journey is near. So the queen said to the king, "Come, let's go to see the chariot." The king said, "Okay."
Horses and elephants came out of stables. Decorated boats are prepared for quuen, and soldiers got ready with swords in the palm of their hand. All slaves followed in groups with the King & Queen.
Only one remained. His job is to pick up the broom stick of the palace.
Sardar came and kindly said to him, “hey, you also come.”
He folded his hands and said, "I will not be able to go."
The words reached the king's ears, everyone goes along, only that poor one does not want to go!
The king kindly said to his minister, "Call him also."
His house is on the side of the road. When the King's elephant reached there, the minister called him and said, "O poor man, come with us as King wants.  let's go altogether to see Lord Jagannatha."
He folded his hands and said, "How long can  I go? Do I have the ability to reach the door of Lord Jagannatha?"
The minister said, "What are you afraid of, you will accompany with your king."
He said, "Apocalypse! How would the king's way become my way also !”
The minister said, "But then? Will you not be lucky to see the Rath Yatra?”
He said, "Yes of course,I will see the Lord. Jagannatha comes to my door in a chariot."
The minister laughed. Said, "Where is the sign of the chariot at your door?"
"His chariot's tracks do not fall on ground," said the poor man.
The minister said, "Tell me why."
He said, "because, He comes in a flower chariot."
The minister said, "Where is that chariot?"
Then the poor man points out, there were two sunflowers on either side of his door, dazzling under morning sunlight.