Asim Bando's KOLKATA BLOG

Jhulan Yatra is one of the most important festival of devotees of Lord Krishna. It is the third biggest festival of Vaishnavas after Dol Yatra and Janmastami. It usually falls in the Bengali month Shravan. According to Gregorian calendar July-August is the month when Jhulan Yatra occur. This year it will begin on 1 Bhadra,  according to Bangla calendar (18 August) on the day of Ekadashi. It will run for 5 days and on Purnima (full moon day) Jhulan Yatra will end. The day is called Jhulan Purnima.        Jhulan Yatra is the religious occasion for Hindus and Vaishnavas. It mainly observed in 'Bonedi' families and in Moth and temples,  but the children especially are enthusiastic to decorate 'Jhulan' in the entrance of their houses during all 5 day long, with sand, stones, woods, clay dolls and toys, small trees, puppet huts and wooden swings for the jhulan of Radha-Krishna. The family members use to perform rituals and puja of the house-god ...

In old Kolkata, Rath Yatra celebration was very gorgeous. It was the British Raaj in India, the aristocrats used to observe Rath Yatra in Kolkata with pomp and grandeur. Sheth and Basak family of Bowbazar used to organise rally of Rath on the road with their Kul Devta Govind ji. The Rath was 70 feet high. The Rath used to pull on Bowbazar Street upto Laldighi of Dalhousie.  A gorgeous Rath used to run at Posta area of Kolkata. People of all ages used to enjoy the rally with colourful flags in hand, khol kartal were the musical instruments used to play throughout the rally. Some used to spray atar, keora, aguru and sandalwood water among the devotees.  Batasa was the prasad used to throw from the chariot amongst devotees and they used to pick those. Ramkanai Adhikary's Rath of Bowbazar was very famous in old Kolkata. It was almost 150 years old. But now a small chariot use to pull within family.  A silver Rath was very famous in old Kolkata.  Its owner was Rajchandr...

Jhulan Yatra or Swing Festival is the religious festival of Hindus dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha. It is observed in the month of August. And this year, this festival is being started from today. Kolkata has lost many of its traditions but still, in some houses at central Kolkata, it is observed very enthusiustically.      The house at 63, Dhiren Dhar Sarani is one of them. The house is called 'Srimanta Villa'. In this house, Jhulan Yatra is being observed gorgeously (this year it is being observed from 22-26 August). Jhulan utsav of this house is about 80 years old. Srimanta Pandit was the founder of this 'Srimanta Villa'. His son Chandan Pandit was so enthusiast about this festival that he decorated 'Jhulan' with dolls on their outside sitting place (রক) alongwith his friends. It was the year 1935. After three years, he started a new item - showed sunrise, sunset, moonrise and position of various stars and planets at night projecting on screen, run b...

Rath-Yatra is not only the custom of Puri, Mahesh or any big cities, it is the tradition of centuries that remain within the lifestyle of rural Bengal. I observed the Rath-Yatra of Nalikul, one of the oldest area of Hooghly district, where the main profession of common people is cultivation. And as usual they observe traditional festivals earnestly. Rath-Yatra is one of them. -- A. B.