BERHAMPUR: At Goshaninuagaon in the town, a unique tradition has been developing in recent times. The chariot of goddess Subhadra is pulled by women alone. No men are allowed to come near the wheels. Those of the male gods -
Jagannath and Balabhadra - are pulled by men.
Today, Berhampur exists as possibly the second-ever site in the state after
Baripada to have a gender-specific Rath. The pulling of Subhadra's chariot exclusively by women started at Baripada - the tribal heartland of the state - in 1975. Its beginnings were relatively new at the Goshaninuagaon temple, which only began separating the chariots on the basis of gender from 2000.
Women enjoy the exclusive role thoroughly. "The enthusiasm of women in participating in the
Rath Yatra is evident from the fact that their numbers have been increasing year after year since the introduction of the custom," said Panchanan Choudhury, head trustee of the Goshaninuagon Jagannath Temple.
Girls from various educational institutions in the town turned up in large numbers to pull the chariot of Subhadra. Several women were seen pulling the chariot from the temple site to the
Gundicha Temple at Goshaninuagaon, about one-and-half km away, along with other two chariots. "We thought to reserve Devi Subhadra's chariot exclusively for women to give them a chance to participate in the Rath Yatra," said K Madhavi, mayor, Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC).
As a result of the new custom, women no longer struggle with men to get closer to the chariots.
"Besides, there are fewer chances of women being victims of unscrupulous men as they congregate at one site during the festival," said Mamata Bisoi, a corporator of BeMC.
The Rath Yatra at Goshaninuagaon, Berhampur
