Editorial photo #13967944 Religion and Belief

India Hindu Festival - 630 Year Old Rathyatra

Sukanta Majumdar, India's Union Minister of State for Education, takes part in a ritual before the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra during the 630-year-old Mahesh Rath Yatra in Hooghly district, West Bengal, India, on July 16, 2026. First celebrated in 1396 CE, the Mahesh Rath Yatra is the oldest chariot festival in West Bengal and is widely regarded as the second-oldest and second-largest Rath Yatra after the annual procession in Puri, Odisha. (Photo by Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto)