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Nabadwip's Rash Yatra, also known as Shakta Rash, is a festival that celebrates the divine play of Lord Krishna and is a combination of Vaishnava and Shakta traditions
Celebrated on the full moon day in Kartik month, the Rash Yatra is a procession with clay deities of Lord Krishna and Radha. The parade demonstrate the life of Lord Krishna, his various miracles and deeds. The Rash Mela is an annual fair that is very famous in the Nabadwip, Cooch Behar and Sundarbans.
Shakta Rash also known as Rash Utsav, is an annual festival, celebrated uniquely in Nabadwip of West Bengal. The festival is observed in the month of Kartika in Kartika Purnima (the full moon day of Kartika month) of Hindu calendar, which corresponds to November in the Gregorian calendar. After the grandeur of Durga Puja and Kali Puja, Rash festival is celebrated as a continuation of devotion of Shakti traditions of Hinduism. While Durga Puja focuses on the worship of Goddess Durga—the embodiment of strength, protection, and cosmic balance —the Ras festival emphasizes devotion to Shakti, the divine feminine energy that manifests in various forms, such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and others.
The main features of Shakta Ras are to make large clay idols (murtis) to worship Shakti. The craftsmanship involved in creating the clay idols of the Shakta deities, their religious connotations, and the artist's perfect portrayal combine to give this festival a unique character. Nabadwip's Ras is not just a religious event, but also a cultural celebration, where art, spirituality, and tradition come together in an extraordinary blend. Each idol seems to evoke a powerful invocation of energy, instilling a sense of peace and strength deep within the hearts of the people. Every idol has an artistic design, a variety of imagination, religious discourse, and deep understanding of the scholars, which help entertain innumerable people. Cartoonist Chandi Lahiri said that the large scale of the clay idols differs from any other festivals, because the idols from Nabadwip is shapely and symmetric despite their light weight and enormous proportions.
Historical groundings
Ras festival mainly part of Vaishnavism. During the time of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Rash Yatra was started in Nabadwip as a Vaishnava festival. While the Ras festival primarily centers around Vaishnavism, commemorating Lord Krishna's divine play, the Shakta Ras reflects a unique integration of Shakta (Goddess-centric) traditions within the Ras celebrations. This syncretism is evident in the worship practices, where deities from both Vaishnava and Shakta traditions are honored, and in the transformation of the festival over centuries. Over time, the Shakta elements gained prominence, showcasing the coexistence of Vaishnava and Shakta beliefs in the local culture.
In the introductory phase, the Ras festival was celebrated through the worship of pot (painted scrolls). Because of this, Raas Purnima became known among Shaktas as "Pot Purnima". But as potters from other regions—especially under the patronage of local royalty, such as Maharaja Krishnachandra, settled in Nabadwip, clay idol worship gradually took root. However, Mohit Ray has mentioned, "The potters of Krishnanagar flourished under the patronage of British officials."[Over time, after the period of pot worship, the practice of clay idol worship gradually emerged. This led to the creation of massive and highly detailed clay idols, including both Krishna and Kali figures, with the latter earning the festival name “Ras Kali” puja in popular language.
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