Kolkata Rathyatra to be held inside ISKCON temple

He further said most of the ISKCON devotees are engaged in relief work of COVID-19 and then the Cyclone Amphan across the state. "We are distributing food for last 70 days during the COVID-19 crisis.

The city's Rathyatra festival organised by ISKCON Kolkata Centre will be held inside their temple without any devotees, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. The unprecedented decision was taken in view of the COVID-19 outbreak that has infected more than 11,000 people in the state and 3.5 lakh-plus in the country.

"ISKCON Kolkata has decided to do all Rathayatra celebrations inside our campus only and we will not allow any devotees," ISKCON-Kolkata Centre vice president and spokesperson Radharaman Das told PTI. The Rathyatra begins on June 23 and last year more than 10 lakh devotees attended the nine-day festival in total, he said.

"It seems that the danger of COVID-19 has only increased and not subsided at all. It will be too risky to celebrate Rathyatra out in the open with large people gathering to pull the chariots. It's practically impossible to do it while maintaining the social distancing," he said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had flagged off the festival last year.

The ISKCON spokesperson said they have informed the state government about their decision of holding the Rathyatra inside ISKCON temple. He further said most of the ISKCON devotees are engaged in relief work of COVID-19 and then the Cyclone Amphan across the state.

"We are distributing food for last 70 days during the COVID-19 crisis. After the Amphan, the relief work has increased and many of our devotees are engaged in that. They are in different villages doing the relief work. So we have a shortage of manpower too this time," he said. The Kolkata Rathyatra began in 1972 and this was their 49th year and for the first time there would be no chariots that are pulled to their destination Gundicha Mandir during the festival.

"We will make a temporary Gundicha Mandir inside our temple (on Gurusaday Road) and the deities will be taken there in a low-key celebration," he said.

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