Baripada which was once the capital of the princely state of Mayurbhanj, has set a new benchmark in women empowerment. Here, women pull the chariot of Goddess Subhadra, an embodiment of shakti or feminine power.

The final day of three-day festivities is devoted solely to pulling Subhadra's chariot with women taking over the streets of Baripada.

Mayurbhanj, which was earlier ruled by Bhanja dynasty, showcases the mixture of royal heritage and tribal traditions. The district is home to several tribes, including Santhals, Mundas, Mankidia and Lodha. As Jagannath cult has a tribal origin, rath yatra is celebrated here in grand manner.

Like in Puri, three chariots are made for each of the deities. But the tradition of women pulling the chariot of Goddess Subhadra is just 43-years-old. It was started in 1975, the International Year of Women. The then Mayurbhanj collector Bibekanandra Pattanayak had mooted the innovative idea. Since then it has become a part of rath yatra tradition here.

Incidentally, when the practice began, Indira Gandhi, the first woman Prime Minister of India, was ruling the country and Nandini Satpathy was at the helm of Odisha.

The grand event is witnessed not only by devotees from across this tribal-dominated district, but also from neighbouring Jharkhand and Bengal.

Clad in colourful attires, devotees throng this town, adding colour and grandeur to the festivities.

The cultural diversity is also seen within the town, which has two Jagannath temples. While the bigger temple builds three chariots, the smaller one makes only one. While life-size deities are worshipped in the bigger temple and taken out on three separate chariots, the smaller temple has Banthia Jagannath or dwarf god.

Baripada's rath yatra is also different from Puri in another way. Unlike Puri it is a three-day affair giving a real-time feel of a yatra or festival. In Puri, the rath rituals starting from taking the deities out from the temple in ceremonial procession to pulling the chariots to Gundicha temple are confined to a single day, but here, the pahandi bije (bringing the deities out of the temple) happens on the first day. The next day, Balabhadra's chariot Taladhwaja is pulled. On the third day, Subhadra's Devi Dalana and Jagannath's chariot Nandighosh are chugged to Gundicha temple. The same process is followed during the return journey.

There is also another unique ritual. After reaching the Gundicha temple "ladoos" (sweets) are thrown to the crowd from the chariots. The frenzied devotes jostle get hold of the prasad. This ritual adds to enjoyment and merry-making revolving around the car festival.