Lord Jagannath's return car festival celebrated across Bengal

Kolkata, Jul 5 (PTI) Devotees pulled the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on Saturday as the ‘Ulto Rath’ (Return Car) festival was celebrated across West Bengal with pomp and gaiety.

They congregated in Digha, the coastal town in Purba Medinipur district, where the Rath Yatra of the newly constructed Jagannath temple was celebrated for the first time.

In Digha, around 200 km away from Kolkata, the chariots were pulled from 'Masir Bari' (the place of aunt of three sibling deities) to the new Jagannath temple, covering a 750-metre route.

Thousands of people gathered along Park Street-J L Nehru Road crossing, Moulali, Park Circus 7 Point, Shakespeare Sarani, Hungerford Street, ISKCON temple in Kolkata as the devotees danced to the beat of 'Hare Krishna' and 'Joy Jagannath' when chariots were being pulled.

People made a scramble to touch the ropes to pull chariots of the three deities as the ISKCON (International Society For Krishna Consciousness)-organised religious procession went through key thoroughfares of central and south Kolkata before reaching the Radha Krishna temple on Albert Road.

Return Car procession was also taken out at Mayapur in Nadia district, the global headquarters of ISKCON, where thousands of devotees turned up.

Chariots were also pulled in different parts of the metropolis and elsewhere in the state by religious organisations, and also many households where the idols are worshipped traditionally for years.

Amid beats of drums and cymbals, flower-decked chariots were also taken out in Mahesh (Hooghly district), Mahisadal (Purba Medinipur), Rathtala in Belgharia (North 24 Parganas), Baghbazar (Kolkata), Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, English Bazar (Malda) and other parts of the state on the occasion of Ulto Rath, being held nine days after Rath Yatra on June 27.

Fairs and exhibitions on roadsides and grounds in urban and rural areas attracted large crowds, including children. PTI SUS BDC