Baripada Rath Yatra, a gender specific event

Baripada, Orissa, June 26 (UNI) The 415-year-old Rath Yatra in Baripada has many special attractions besides being considered second only to the Puri Rath Yatra in importance.

Hundreds of tribal men, women and children from remote rural areas attired in their gala dresses throng the town to watch the three massive chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra rolling on the Grand Road.

Call it women's empowerment or a form of reservation, the Baripada Ratha Yatra is a novel affair, where women pull their very own chariot - the rath of Goddess Subhadra.

The Baripada festival had gained the glory of being a gender specific event in 1975 coinciding with the International Women's Year celebration.

The idea was mooted by the then Mayurbhanj Collector Vivekananda Pattanayak, and overwhelmingly supported by the eminent women leaders like Indumati Pati, Chandrika Mohapatra, Kalpana Sarangi who described the event as ''an unique distinction endowed on the women of Baripada''.

Over one lakh of pilgrims mostly from the neighbouring Jharkhand, West Bengal and from different parts of North Orissa throng the town to watch the ceremonial drive of Lord Jagannath, His elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Goddess Subhadra on a nine day sojourn to the Aunt's House.

According to recorded history, the Lord's temple at Baripada was built in laterite stone by Maharaja Baidyanath Bhanj Deo in 1575, and the Rath Yatra too started from the same year.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the town for the festival following the recent government decision to ban the Maoist and its seven frontal organisations.

The district authorities has deployed ten platoons of Orissa State Armed Police and the Armed Police Reserve to prevent any untoward incident.

UNI XC/DP TJP YA RS1859