GUWAHATI:
Manipur on Tuesday (June 20) skipped the annual Rath Yatra procession, a more than 200-year-old major ritualist event involving chariots, due to the ongoing unrest.
Clashes between the non-tribal Meitei and the tribal Kuki communities broke out on May 3 and has claimed 150 lives and displaced more than 60,000.
Explained | What is behind Manipur’s widespread unrest?
A majority of the Meitei people follow a form of indigenised Vaishnavism associated with Lord Krishna.
The Rath Yatra celebration in Imphal Valley of Manipur began in 1780 during the reign of Maharaja Bhagyachandra. It became an annual public event from 1832 after the Govindaji Temple was built during the rule of Maharaja Gambhir Singh.
The Shree Shree Govindaji Temple Board, Manipur’s apex body that holds the Rath Yatra locally known as Kang Chingba, decided against holding any public event this time. The yatra entails placing idols of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings — Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra — in a 30-foot-tall wooden chariot, which is then pulled by devotees for a procession out of the palace compound.
“Basic rituals will take place inside the temple premises during the 10-day ceremony, which is an aberration,” a board member said.
Other organisations such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness also decided not to organise the ceremonial procession due to the prevailing situation.
Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uike greeted the people of Manipur on the occasion. “For many, Kang is a symbol of unity, brotherhood, and peace. Thousands of devotees participate in this yatra and get good fortune by pulling Lord Jagannath’s chariot and being blessed with pleasure and riches. Let this year’s Rath Yatra bring everlasting unity, peace and progress for every household in the state,” she said in a message.
