Puri Rath Yatra halted after 285 years: Know when and why the festival was stopped

Bhubaneswar, June 19: The Rath Yatra of Puri Jagannth would not be held after 285 years following the Supreme Court direction in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the temple history, the festival was not held for several times in the past due to attack on the temple by Islamic rulers between 1568 and 1735. Last time the car festival could not be held was between 1733 and 1735 when Mohammed Taqi Khan, deputy governor of Odisha, attacked the Jagannath temple. The idols were shifted to Harishwar Mandap and then to Marda Temple near Hatibari hill in Polasara of Ganjam district for safety reasons. Similarly, the festival was not held in 1731 after Mohammed Taqi Khan attacked Sri Mandir. The idols were taken to Kankanasekhari Kuda in Chilika lake. The Rath Yatra could not be held for long 13 years between 1692 and 1707. In 1692, Ekram Khan, the Mughal commander in Odisha, attacked the temple. The idols were shifted from the temple to a place behind the Bimala temple in Khordha before the attack. Later, the idols were kept at Bada Hantuada village in Banapur till 1707. The Rath Yatra could not be held for two years in 1621 and 1622 following attack by the Muslim subedar Ahmed Beg on the temple. The idols were shifted from the temple for safety reasons. The Rath Yatra was not held in 1611 and 1617 following attack by Kalyan Mal, the son of Todar Mal. The priests had to shift the idols and hide. In 1607, Qasim Khan, the Mughal subedar of Odisha, attacked the temple following which the idols were taken to Khordha and kept in the Gopal Jew temple. And, the Rath Yatra could bot be held that year. The Rath Yatra could not be held in 1601 as the idols were shifted following a attack by Mirza Khurum, a commander of the Bengal Nawab. The Rath Yatra could not be held for nine years between 1568 and 1577 following an attack by Kala Pahad, a general of Bengal king Suleiman Kirrani, on the temple in 1568.