Dhamrai Rathayatra
| Rathayatra of Dhamrai | |
|---|---|
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| Founded | 1672 |
| Place | Dhamrai, Dhaka District, Bangladesh |
| Base | 27 ft. by 27 ft. |
| Wheels | 15 |
| Style | Three storied |
| Patron | Bina Sikri Rajib Saha |
Dhamrai Jagannath Roth(Bengali: ধামরাই জগন্নাথ রথ) is a chariot temple, a Roth, dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath located in Dhamrai, Bangladesh. The annual Jagannath Roth Jatra is a famous Hindu festival attracting thousands of people. The Roth Jatra in Dhamrai is one of the most important events for the Hindu community of Bangladesh. Sri Jagannath (Lord of the World) is believed by the Hindus to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, one among the Holy Hindu Trinity of Gods (Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer). Lord Jagannath is also believed to be a deity form of Lord Krishna.
For the thousands of Hindu devotees, it is considered a pious deed and the huge processions accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with drums, tambourines, trumpets etc. A glimpse of Lord Jagannath on the chariot is considered to be very auspicious and saints, poets and scriptures have repeatedly glorified the sanctity of this special festival. The sanctity of the festival is such that even a touch of the chariot or even the ropes with which these are pulled is considered enough to confer the results of several pious deeds or penance for ages.
From the unpublished documents and records it seems that the Dhamrai Roth is said to be about 400 years old. It is learned from those records that from Bangla Year 1079 (corresponding to 1672 in the Gregorian calendar) to 1204 (1697 AD) the Roth that was in existence was made with bamboos. It is, however, not known how this Bamboo made Roth was replaced by the one made of wood. The unpublished sources mention that in between BS 1204 to BS 1340 the Jamindars (Feudal Land lords) of Baliati (now located in Saturia Upazila) had four ‘Roth’s made and they provided all the expenses for its construction.
The last one took a period of one year to build and the carpenters of Dhamrai, Kaliakoir, Saturia and Singair jointly worked to make a Roth which was 60 feet in height and 45 feet wide which was completed in 1340 BS, corresponding to 1933 AD. The newly constructed Roth was 3-storied. Each of the first and second floors had four chambers at the four corners and one chamber on the top floor. These chambers or rooms were called ‘Noborotno’s. The Roth had 32 giant wooden wheels and was adorned with two wooden horses in front as well as carvings and paintings of Hindu deities. Thick ropes made with about 1000 kilograms of jute fiber were used to pull the Roth along. As it was being pulled people lining up the street and on roof-tops would shower bananas and sugar on the Roth amidst cheers and chanting.
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