Odisha’s Rath Yatra Missing From Centre’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List

DIVINITY DESCENDS:The chariots of Lord Jagannath and His siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, being drawn on Bada Danda (Grand Road) in Puri on the occasion of their annual Rath Yatra on Thursday. OB Photograph

Bhubaneswar: Think-tanks, research scholars and Jagannath devotees have expressed surprise and anguish over the non-inclusion of the famous Rath Yatra in Puri in the Intangible Cultural Heritage list prepared by the Union Culture Ministry.

What is even more shocking is that the Odisha government’s Culture Department has not yet brought the matter to the notice of the Central ministry.

According to well-known scholar of Jagannath culture, Dr Naresh Kumar Das, if any major festival of Odisha is taken into consideration, it will be none other than the world famous Rath Yatra of Puri. “It is absolutely unfair and unfortunate that the ministry has kept this unique festival out of the list without considering its rich and pristine tradition and culture which has spread far and wide across the globe. The Culture Ministry should give utmost priority to this mega festival and include it in the list,” he said.

Official of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Dr Bhaskar Mishra said Rath Yatra is a century-old rich tradition of Lord Jagannath that attracts the devotees from across the world. “Compared to the three traditions of Odisha i.e., the ‘Manabasa Gurubara’, ‘Chhau Dance’ and ‘Rabana Chhaya Dance’ included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the Rath Yatra tradition should be on top of the list,” he pointed out.

In his reaction, eminent research scholar Surendra Mishra said that the Culture Ministry should include Rath Yatra and Bali Yatra, the two major traditions of Odisha, in the list. “May be those who have prepared the list, have not made a detailed study on these two major festivals of the state. “We urge the ministry to include these two festivals by taking the social and humanitarian perspectives into consideration,” he noted.

Asked about the steps the state government is going to take on this issue, principal secretary, Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Manoranjan Panigrahi said it is a welcome step that the Culture Ministry has included three traditions of Odisha in the list. But it would have been better had the ministry included Rath Yatra in the list. “We will take up the matter with the ministry very soon,” he added.