artsofindia

When it comes to the richness of art and culture, West Bengal stands out to be one of the most unique and diverse states. The foreign powers play a major role in the gradual changes that influenced the arts and crafts, providing an artistic diversity in the forms of dance, music, traditional handicrafts, painting, and carving. However, Bengal prides itself on the imprint which it carries beyond the foreign influences, ancient and modern.

Rathyatra, Rath means Chariot and Yatra means journey, is an age-old Chariot festival in India. It is a Hindu religious festival associated with Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Goddess Subhadra. Rathyatra takes place every year in Puri in the state of Odisha. It is also celebrated in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and other parts of India as well as abroad. Rathyatra is the oldest chariot festival in the world. Its reference and description is even found in ancient religious books, like Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana, and Kapil Samhita which were written thousands of years ago.