No UNESCO Tag For Rath Yatra: How Can We Be So Passive?

You will be surprised to know that to date, Ratha Yatra does not figure in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. We feel slighted because a neighbouring state has got the status and is flaunting it, but I think rightfully so. They have made a strong case, while we are clueless. There is an Inter-Governmental Committee for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO and this is the deciding body.

This month, UNESCO had its 16^th Committee meeting, to expand its representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity. Durga Puja has been added to the list. What about Ratha Yatra? Can there be any greater living symbol, both in scale and inclusiveness, of ‘Intangible’ CH of Humanity, other than Ratha Yatra?

It is quite obvious that cultural heritage is not confined to monuments and artefacts, collections, and repositories. Culture includes traditions, norms, demonstratable expressions, which are inter-generational, oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, indigenous knowledge, and practices, including those of the traditional crafts.

This signifies the entire spectrum and highlights the intangible element of cultural heritage. Our faith in the journey of the creator amidst the creation is the mega cultural practice, Ratha Yatra, which embodies everything – arts, social practices, events, seamless co-existence with nature, and celebration of humanity. The Rath Yatra at Puri is not just a temple festival; it is a divine outreach that seeks to bring everything in the universe together. It cements humanity.

The divinity of the yatra is of greater consequence than its statistics or the repeated references to scriptures and observations. Jagannath, Lord of the Universe, is the Chalanti Thakur — the walking, talking god, in conversation with the devotee. We cry out to him, smile with him, are miffed with him and thank him because he is in us.

When the three chariots — Nandi Ghosh, Taladhwaja and Dwarpadalana — roll down the Bada Danda, there is frenzy. The names of the three chariots signify the intention of the journey — to help humanity overcome shortcomings like pride and arrogance, to reach higher planes.

The Lord of the Universe comes out of his abode, gives audience to humanity, enjoys the revelry and blesses all and urges all to shed vanity immediately.

Dwarpadalana literally means ‘crusher of pride’. Even the King of Puri, Gajapati, cleans the rath as a janitor would. He doesn’t discriminate and that’s reason enough for Jagannath to mingle with all, in the world’s biggest carnival of piety. All of us, you, I, Salabeg, son of Jahangir Quli Khan, would have the Lord amidst us if we can’t go to the temple to have darshan. During every Gundicha Yatra, the Lord stops his rath at the samadhi, tomb, of Salabeg for about five minutes, to respect and commemorate Salabeg’s devotion, before resuming his journey. Can there be a broader cultural diversity than this?

There is an unbridled celebration, unimaginable energy in the air, the sound of bells, mardala, megha and tamaka, drums, hula huli, auspicious sounds made by women, mangalapatha, chanting, and mangala- gita, auspicious songs, on-the-road dance performances like Gotipua, traditional bhaktirata dance, a mix of all classical dance forms, including Odissi, shouts of Manima! O Lord! Dosari Anlabeni venu, flute,vinata,lyre,jhajala,kansa, bell metal — rent the air. Flags of several colours, tapestries from various maths, monasteries, and ribbons create waves of colour. The Katha Upanishad explains the concept of chariot like this:

Atmanam rathinam viddhi sareeram rathamevatu 

Buddhim tu saarathim viddhi marah pragrahameva cha

‘This body is the chariot and this atman, soul, is the owner of the chariot, the charioteer. The buddhi, wisdom, is its driver. The mind is its reins.’ There is an appropriate analogy between the rath and the symbolic message to control our senses and, hence, our lives.

Intangible cultural heritage carries the baton of wealth of knowledge and skills, which is passed on from one generation to the next. The value of this transmission of knowledge is relevant for the underprivileged groups and for the mainstream social groups within a community or a state or a country of the universe. This becomes a yardstick for the socio-economic development of a race or a nation. Ratha Yatra is a unique ensemble of intercultural dialogue, which encourages mutual respect for diverse ways of life.

Ratha Yatra is the journey of life symbolising three significant aspects: Advaita, Oneness, Submission, and Celebration out of submission. The Lord and the devotee merge and become one. There is no place for any discrimination in spiritual oneness. This indivisibility is the core strength of an individual and the world. The ego is overcome. From no-ego comes submission. Submission is absolute. The rhapsody in Ratha Yatra is a trance — a reverie of submission to life and its flow. The unflinching submission to the Lord can’t lead to anything but a celebration.

The carnival at Puri is without any contours – geographic, demographic or psychographic. No limitations, no generalisations. It is sheer spontaneity and sans any bridle.

No one is barred from joining the carnival – the deluge of emotions that are personal and inward-looking. There are splashes of colours, whirling all around and you are inside yourself, weeping and lost in joy, naked in ecstasy. There is no societal norm to choke you. Because you are with the Supreme of the Universe. There is no generalisation. I am black and you are not, I am X religion, and you are Y, I am a man and you are a woman, sound so small. The Yatra is a rare practice maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalisation. It is the only of its kind cultural observation, which not only represents inherited traditions from the past but also contemporary universal – rural and urban practices in which diverse social, cultural and ethnic groups actively participate.

It won’t be an exaggeration to claim that Ratha Yatra is the biggest celebration of spiritual carnival in the globe which is inclusive, representative and community-centric. It is a global celebration that provides livelihoods to thousands of artisans and common facilities and groups. There is an entire downstream industry that thrives on the grand Ratha Yatra.

Let’s prepare a dossier for UNESCO ICH and give a presentation to them, advocating for Ratha Yatra to be included in the intangible cultural heritage list.

This year, the Secretary-General, Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO, chaired the annual gathering, which included participants – representatives of states, parties, non-governmental organisations, cultural institutions and other stakeholders – from across the globe. It would be demeaning to assess the contribution of Ratha Yatra to state GDP.

But we should realise that while advocating for UNESCO ICH, we should not lose the core of our existence, the Lord of the Cosmos and peddle Ratha Yatra in the race for a world list.

Let’s sensitise the world but not at the cost of depleting our unflinching spiritual steadfastness. Ratha Yatra need not be commercial.

But in the meantime, please wake up and look around.