Rath Yatra low-key affair in West Bengal amid COVID curbs

Only 50 servitors and devotees were allowed to pull a chariot in the temple complex during the day.

Kolkata: Much like last year, the traditional gaiety on Rath Yatra was missing in Bengal on Monday as authorities at the much-revered Mahesh temple in Hooghly district cancelled all festivities in the wake of COVID-related restrictions, and ISKCON temples in the city and Mayapur marked the occasion with muted celebrations. At the Kolkata temple of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which had to put off its 50th year celebrations amid the pandemic-induced curbs, Lord Jagannath travelled in a decorated carcade, along with his divine siblings, as part of the rituals. No chariot was taken out on the streets, in a departure from tradition.