Baripada: The district headquarters town of tribal dominated Mayurbhanj district has set a different tradition. Here, the chariot of Goddess Subhadra is pulled by only women. The ritual here is also held one day late.

The tradition dates back to 1975, when the International Women’s Year was first celebrated. The district administration of Mayurbhanj had started the tradition to let women pull the chariot of Goddess Subhadra as a symbol of women empowerment.

The then district collector, Bibekananda Pattanayak, took the initiative to start this unique tradition. 

Text by Sibdas Kundu, Telegraph picture