RathaYatra, or Chariot Festival, is the biggest Hindu festival in West Bengal. It takes place every summer. According to records the chariot festivals was introduced at the end of 14th century by KamalakarPipilai who was a close associate of Shri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu. He was given the task of caring for the idols of Jagannath Balaram Subhadra carved on the request of a Dhrubananda.
Puri in Orissa is the first place that comes to mind when we think of Rathayatra. RathaYatra can be found all over the world, but the celebrations are most common in the galli organized by young girls and boys and the organisations where Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath are worshipped. During the RathaYatra Festival, there are regional fairs in Kolkata and West Bengal. The response to RathaYatra Fair is great in all localities.
The most popular RathaYatras in West Bengal include ISCKON RathaYatra, RashbehariRathaYatra, Mahesh RathaYatra, Mahishadal RathaYatra, East Midnapore District RathaYatra, Guptipara RathaYatra, and RajbalhatRathaYatra.
Here is some photography that can tell you the story of two famous RathaYatras of West Bengal. They are GuptiparaRathayatra, Guptipara, West Bengal, India, and HabibpurRathaYatra, Ranaghat, West Bengal, India (organized by ISCON).
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About Sudipta Chatterjee
Sudipta is a documentary, street and travel photographer. I have been working in the field of photography for eight years. I was raised in West Bengal (India). I am primarily interested in street and travel photography with an emphasis on people, to tell compelling stories.
My photos have been published on various platforms in India, Turkey, Kazakhstan Azerbaijan, Albania and Lithuania as well as Russia and the UK. The photographs have been published in National Geographic Your Shot as well as 1X.com 35 Awards and Chiiz Magazine.
In 2019, I was awarded the prestigious Artist AFIAP (Artiste de la Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique), recognized by UNESCO, from the Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique in France. In 2019, I was also awarded the Excellence FIP (EFIP), award by the Federation of Indian Photography (India).
Copyrights
All the images in this post have been copyrighted by Sudipta chatterjee. Reproduction of any part is prohibited without the express approval of their rightful owners.