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Jagannath Rath Yatra

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One of India’s biggest religious festivals, the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is being celebrated in the country.

Key details:

  • Also known as the ‘Festival of Chariots’, this occasion begins in the month of Ashadha.
  • The festival signifies the annual visit of Lord Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra to the Gundicha temple in Odisha.
  • Every year, the Rath Yatra takes place for nine days and is known as the biggest chariot procession globally.

History

  • As per the holy Hindu scriptures–Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana, and Kapila Samhita–the sister of Lord Jagannath, Subhadra, was said to have wished to travel to Puri.
  • To fulfill Devi Subhadra’s wish, Lord Jagannath and his elder brother Lord Balabhadra drove a chariot to Puri.
  • The pilgrimage from their home temple to another temple, which is believed to be their aunt’s home, has been symbolised by this festival.

Significance

  • This is the only festival in the world where deities are taken out of temples to travel to devotees.
  • The deities’ raths arrive at the Gundicha temple on the first day of the procession and stay there for the following days.
  • They go back to the Jagannath temple on the ninth day.
  • The three chariots carrying the deities are built and embellished in preparation to begin the yatra, and are constructed by expert carpenters known as ‘Maharana’.
  • Each of the chariots has its own name.
    • Lord Jagannath’s chariot is called Nandighosh,
    • Lord Balabhadra’s chariot is known as  Taladhwaja and
    • Devi Subhadra’s chariot is named Darpadalana.
  • These raths are carried by devotees and it is believed that being part of these celebrations brings prosperity and fulfillment of desires.
  • Lord Jagannath is considered the ‘Lord of the Universe’ according to Hindu scriptures.
  • He is considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu and is deeply revered by the followers of Vaishnavism.
  • Meanwhile, Jagannath temple is one of the four Hindu pilgrimage centers known as Char Dham, which Hindus are expected to visit in their lifetime


Baikho Puja

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Recently, the Rabha tribal community celebrated Baikho puja along the Assam-Meghalaya border.

Key details:

  • During the Baikho Puja, the Rabhas worship 13 gods and goddesses.
  • The Baikho is the principal deity of the Rabhas, which is associated with crops.
  • Bai means deity, and kho means great. 
  • An important aspect of the Baikho puja is the Bar Nak-Kai ritual which is a fire test dance. 
    • This involves running barefoot over burning hot coals as piles of leftover planting materials blaze in the background.
  • For the next two-three succeeding days, all the villagers perform hoimaru songs.
    • In Hoymaru songs, heroic deeds and spiritual thoughts are conveyed. 
    • No written record has been found of the songs, which are handed down orally from generation to generation. 
    • The occasion of Baykho is also considered auspicious for solemnising marriages. 
  • Rabha tribe 
    • The Rabhas are one of the Scheduled tribes living mainly in Assam and West Bengal.
    • They are also concentrated on the south bank of the river Brahmaputra in the Kamrup, Goalpara district and Tikrikilla of West Garo hills of Meghalaya. 


Dress Code for Temple Entry in Uttarakhand mandated

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Temple authorities in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun districts have imposed a ban on the entry of devotees not wearing appropriate clothing.

What are the grounds of imposition of Dress code?

  • “Places of worship have their own sanctity and individuals come here with faith to offer prayers.”

Who can impose such restrictions?

  • Either the Courts has a power to impose restrictions based on appropriate laws defined in a particular state government, for example Tamil Nadu Temple Entry Authorisation Act, 1947.
  • The Courts also permits individual temple managements to prescribe dress code as per their ‘customary and traditional practices’.

Constitutional Articles related to Freedom of Religion:

  • Article 25 says that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion.
    • Freedom of conscience: Inner freedom of an individual to frame his relation with God or Creatures in whatever way he desires.
    • Right to Profess: Declaration of one’s religious beliefs and faith openly and freely.
    • Right to Practice: Performance of religious worship, rituals, ceremonies and exhibition of beliefs and ideas.
    • Right to Propagate: Transmission and promotion of one’s religious beliefs to others. But, it does not include a right to convert another person to one’s own religion.
    • Article 25 covers religious beliefs and also religious practices (rituals).
  • Article 26: Freedom to Manage Religious Affairs, every religious denomination or any of its section shall have the following rights:
    • Right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes.
    • Right to manage its own affairs in matters of religion.
    • Right to own and acquire movable and immovable property.
    • Right to administer such property in accordance with law

Are these restrictions being challenged in Court of law?

  • Yes, the restrictions placed in terms of Dress code can be challenged in High Court or the Supreme Court (SC).

Supreme Courts’ View:

  • The Supreme Court in the case of Sri Adi Visheshwara of Kashi Vishwanath temple of Varanasi and others vs. State of UP and others stated that;
    • The every Hindu has a right of entry to the Hindu temple and worships the deity.
    • The Apex Court has denied the denominational status while stating that Every Hindu has a right to enter into the temple.
    • The blanket and self-drawn power of the board of the temple to impose the dress code is not only unconstitutional but also crushing the choice of individual to wear the clothes of their own choice.

A Balance between Rights to Freedom of Religion and Right of Choice:

  • The Supreme has recognized the deity as a juristic person and being in the capacity the deity avails their right.
  • The Authority can restrict the person who wears the jeans from performing the religious function.
  • The striving for the balance between the faith and liberty must be understood in terms of the fact that Hinduism is a way of life not a religion in strict academic discourse.
  • The empirical aspect of the religion is based upon the certain value which does give significance to primacy of choice.