Berhampur: Like in previous years, the chariot of Lord Jagannath’s sister Subhadra was pulled by women at Gosaninuagaon in Odisha’s Berhampur on Rath Yatra Friday.
However, the chariots of Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra were pulled by male devotees, adhering to traditional customs.
Berhampur is believed to be the second place in Odisha, after Baripada, to observe such a gender-specific tradition during the yatra.
The pulling of Subhadra’s chariot by women in Baripada, the tribal heartland of the state, started in 1975.
In Gosaninuagaon temple, this custom started from 2000, the organisers said.
“The enthusiasm among women to participate has been increasing every year since the tradition began,” said Panchanan Choudhury, manager of the Jagannath Temple Development Committee, Gosaninuagaon.
Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) Mayor Sanghamitra Dalai had the honour of being the first to pull Subhadra’s chariot this year.
MLA (Berhampur) K. Anil Kumar led the pulling of Lord Jagannath’s chariot.
Several women were seen pulling Subhadra’s chariot from the temple site to Gundicha temple, located about one-and-a-half kilometres away.
“The temple committee has reserved the right of pulling Subhadra’s chariot only for women to ensure their active and respectful participation in the Rath Yatra,” Choudhury said.
“Because of this special reservation, women do not have to jostle with their male counterparts to get closer to the chariot. Besides, there are chances of women falling victim to unscrupulous men, when they congregate to pull chariots,” the mayor said.
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said tight security arrangements were made, including the deployment of women police officers near Subhadra’s chariot.
PTI
