Rath Yatra 2020: Truck replaces traditional chariot in Cooch Behar to follow social distancing norms

Rath Yatra, this year, will have a chariot on a truck in West Bengal.

In order to follow the social distancing protocols during the Covid-19 outbreak and to avoid large gatherings, the traditions and rituals have been tweaked according to the need of the hour.

In Cooch Behar, district of West Bengal, a chariot for Lord Jagannath is being made on a truck.

Since people are not allowed to pull the chariot anymore, this makeshift arrangement is a unique way to amalgamate tradition with social distancing norms.

It is indeed a unique way to celebrate the occasion. Pawan Kadyan, President of the Temple Trust Board and District Magistrate of Cooch Behar informed, "It is going to be different this time. Rath will be in the form of a motorised vehicle. There won't be the usual rath which is pulled by strings because to pull the strings, you need people and during these times, there can't be a mass gathering. It could be harmful for the people and Madan Mohan would never want that. Initially, a few strings will be pulled but after that, the entire thing will be motorised. The vehicle will be beautifully decorated."

The truck will symbolise the rath on which the presiding deities of the temple - Jagannath, Balaram and their sister Subhadra - will be taken to Dangrai Temple in Gunjabari.

Preparations are being made for the truck to look absolutely beautiful. Cut-outs of four horses will be placed in front of the truck, while a dome-shaped structure will be added on top of the chariot.

The journey will start at 5 pm on Tuesday and as per the tradition, members of the royal family of Cooch Behar, Ajay Duar Bakshi and Pawan Kadyan will pull the rath initially.

The Madan Mohan Temple was established by the King of Cooch Behar, Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur Bairagi in the year 1889. Since then, over the years, this occasion has been celebrated with much pomp and splendour throughout the district.

However, with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the traditions, the regulations have all turned upside down. The celebrations which included kirtan, fairs, distributing prasadam, all have been called off. The Temple Trust Board have been making announcements all over the district in which they requested devotees to not come to the temple premises.

Pawan Kadyan informed, "We are already requesting the masses to avoid creating a gathering on the roads, we've already made the arrangements of microphones so that we can inform the masses beforehand. We've had help from the police, the management and the trust boards."

"We are not having any fairs because of the novel coronavirus and we would request everybody to stay in their houses and pray to Madan Mohan. I'm sure he would want that too and would not want people risking their health and owing to recent times, this would be ideal," he added.

For many, like the celebrated writer Nripen Pal, who has spent all his childhood in Cooch Behar, enjoying the charm of Rath Yatra in the district this year will be different. Rath Yatra during the childhood days was all about enjoying with friends and having the famous Notka sweets.

However, for the first time, in decades, Rath Yatra will not be celebrated because of the Covid-19 pandemic all over the world.

He said, "There's a kind of disappointment in the air. The happiness of society is lost and there's always an atmosphere of fear."

The Covid-19 pandemic has left an air of despondency among devotees of Cooch Behar's famous Madan Mohan Temple. However, they raised to the challenge and made special chariots for the occasion of Ratha Yatr which will begin today.

After all, necessity is the mother of invention.

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