With Rathyatra just nine days away, the festival that is all about Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, also marks the countdown While Durga Puja (celebrated in autumn) and Rathyatra (celebrated in mid-summer. While they may look like completely different festivals on the surface, in Bengal, they share a deep, beautiful, and structural connection.
Rath tanle, Durga ashe, quite literally means that if you pull the strings of a rath, or Jagannatha's chariot, Goddess Durga will follow too. But if you ask who has written this or on which scripture this is found, no one will probably be able to answer, yet you would find one who doesn't know this saying.
Technically, there isn't any real or magical mechanical connection between a chariot in Puri and a puja in Kolkata.
It's just a reminder to Bengalis, over generations, that the arrival of Rath Yatra in Asharh month means Durga Puja is exactly three months away. So when you pull the Rath, you are also reminding yourself and everyonearound you to start preparing to welcome Maa Durga.
The connection works through a few beautiful traditions, on Ratha yatra which is anyway an auspicious day on the calender. Here are the ones that are followed:
Kathamo Puja, or worshipping of the wooden structure, serves as the most tangible bridge between the two celebrations. Each year on Rathyatra, many barowari community Puja committees and the clay artisans of Kumortuli gather to perform a sacred ritual over the basic wooden frame (kathamo) on which the idol is made. This tradition acts as the official and spiritual kickoff for sculpting the season's Durga idols.
Throwback to moments from Durga Puja 2025:
For hundreds of community pujas across Bengal, Ratha Yatra serves as the most auspicious day for Khuti Puja, where the first wooden or bamboo pole (khuti), that will go on to support the massive, elaborate Durga Puja pandal is worshipped and erected. This puja signals the transition from the planning phase to active, on-ground construction for the autumn festival.
Essentially, without the structural and spiritual beginnings of Rathyatra, the grand canvas of Durga Puja wouldn't take shape!
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