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Time of India
20-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Kolkata tourists help Digha earn Rs 100 crore during first Rath Yatra Season, boosting local economy
KOLKATA/DIGHA: The first season of Rath Yatra in Digha has yielded a net cash inflow of Rs 100 crore for the coastal town, a final count by various trade bodies and the Jagannath temple management has revealed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The business boost has been felt across sectors — hotel and hospitality, transport and local commerce — and stakeholders say the temple is paving the way for a churn in Digha's economy. They expect the annual festival to be a major driver of growth. The temple itself received about Rs 17 lakh as pranami during the two-week festival, which will be used for 'maintenance and further development work', said Radharaman Das, a trustee of the Digha Jagannath Dham and vice-president of Iskcon Kolkata. According to his estimate, over 12 lakh devotees visited Digha for Rath Yatra. Local businesses say the chariot festival turned the post-summer vacation period into another 'peak tourist season'. 'We get maximum tourists during summer and winter vacations when schools and colleges are closed. The Rath Yatra came just after the summer vacation and we saw a steady inflow of new groups of tourists from the last week of June to the first week of this month. For us, the festival turned out to be a source of additional revenue during a period that was considered off-season till last year,' said Ashok Samanta, president of New Digha Saikatshree Market Traders' Association. The 1,100-odd stalls on Saikat Sarani along the beach selling local merchandise together earned an estimated of Rs 5 crore, he said. Of the Rs 100-crore revenue that Rath Yatra generated, a significant portion went to the hotel and hospitality industry and allied sectors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now There are about 850 hotels with more than 25,000 rooms in the seaside town and daily tariffs range from Rs 1,000 for a non-AC room to about Rs 4,000 for a premium AC one. Bipradas Chatterjee, joint Secretary of Digha Sankarpur Hoteliers Association told TOI that during the Rath Yatra season, on average, 12 rooms per hotel were rented out for anything between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 per room. 'Based on this, the income from hotel room rentals in Digha over the past 10 days stands at around Rs 30 crore. The average hotel bookings per day stood at around 22,000,' said Chatterjee. Besides, there were about 10,000 flying tourists who came in for a few hours each day and returned by night. Somnath Ghosh, an official in charge of the Digha bus depot, said revenue from buses stood at about Rs 50 crore during the festival. 'Tourists came from different parts of the state, especially Kolkata. Besides, some tourists reserved buses. Each reserved bus fetched us Rs 35,000 per day,' he added. According to restaurant owners in the town, transactions worth nearly Rs 15 crore took place over the past 10 days for snacks and meals. The Rail Coach Restaurant, a train compartment turned into an AC restaurant adjacent to Digha railway station was a top draw for tourists. Biplab Senapati, who runs this restaurant, said, 'The crowd started pouring in about two days before Rath and their number swelled gradually over the next 10 days. Our daily transactions surged and we had to roped in 10 additional workers to attend to customers.' Murtaza Shah, a resident of Jatimati village near Digha's helipad ground, who has been selling conch and shell products for over three decades, says the new temple has come as a blessing and will set them off on the road to prosperity. 'Digha saw a lot of development in the past five years and now the Jagannath temple is drawing devotees throughout the week,' he said.
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Time of India
Digha looks at Ulta Rath rush, festive mood lingers
1 2 Digha: A day after Rath Yatra, the festive fervour continues in Digha as the seaside town is now gearing up to host Ulta Rath or the return journey of the deities from the 'Masir Bari' or the old Jagannath temple. On July 5 — the Ulta Rath day — hotels are hoping for fresh tourist influx. Though the deities are currently in Masir Bari, a large queue of devotees visited the newly-constructed Jagannath temple on Saturday. They offered prayers to the stone idol permanently installed there. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata It is the wooden idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra that have taken the chairot rides. Bipradash Chakraborty, joint secretary of Digha Sankarpur Hoteliers Association, said booking for Ulta Rath had already started. "The hotels and guest houses near the temple are in high demand. We expect that about 70% odd bookings will be completed by Wednesday. Usually, summer and winter vacations are the peak seasons for the hotel industry in Digha. This year, Ratha Yatra has become a new boost for our industry, and we are preparing for an influx of devotees from different states during Ulta Rath." Radharaman Das, a trustee of Digha Jagannath Dham and vice-president of ISKCON Kolkata, said 'Chappanbhog' was being offered to the deities five times daily at the temple. "Additionally, regular rituals are being performed at Masir Bari around 750 metres from the main temple, where the wooden idols have been kept in chariots. We expect footfall of 70,000 to one lakh devotees at the temple daily until Ulta Rath." A local tour operator in Digha stated, "We have been running package tours covering Puri and Digha for a long time. This tour has gained momentum due to the chariot festival, as many people will travel to Digha from Puri for Ulta Rath." Sonia Das, a Garia resident, stated, "The maiden chariot festival of Digha has generated great excitement among people like us. Some of us formed a group in the neighbourhood and travelled to the seaside town. Another group of our neighbours is scheduled to arrive at Digha for Ulta Rath." Meanwhile, police are implementing a three-tier security system in the town keeping in mind the anticipated rush of devotees. Dibakar Das, SDPO of Contai, stated, "Additional security measures are being implemented throughout Digha for the return journey. Focus is also on the beach area." Some devotees have also planned to visit Puri on Ulta Rath.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
First Rath Yatra in Digha draws lakhs to seaside town
Digha: A sea of devotees swamped the road as the wheels of chariots rolled for the maiden Rath Yatra in Digha on Friday. In keeping with the tradition followed for the chariot festival in Puri, chief minister Mamata Banerjee took part in rituals, washed the road where the three chariots were parked, performed aarti with earthen lamps, and swept the path with a gold broom to set off the Rath Yatra from Jagannath Dham. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The rain could not dampen the festive fervour of devotees who started thronging the temple area with umbrellas since 6 am. The priests began the rituals around 9 am and the crowd swelled after 9.30 am, when the chariots decorated with flowers were parked outside the temple. The security in the precincts of the newly constructed Jagannath temple had been tightened since morning, and cops took a slew of measures to ensure smooth pedestrian traffic on barricaded pavements. A high alert was issued throughout Digha. Traffic on 116B National Highway leading from Old Digha to the Jagannath temple was shut. Over 20 police camps were set up, with more than 3,000 personnel deployed to implement the security arrangements monitored by senior officers of Kolkata Police, including DG Rajeev Kumar. Drop gates were also installed on the road leading to the temple. Around 10 am, the three deities boarded the chariots for the 'Pahandi Vijay' ritual. Devotional music played on stereo, and a dance performance by around 40 Iskcon devotees, mostly from abroad, entertained the audience. Around 2 pm, the CM reached the venue along with her cabinet colleagues and state ministers Aroop Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Sujit Bose, and Indranil Sen. There was a performance by children along with music from Madhab's rock band, after which, flanked by members of Iskcon, the CM set the wheels of the chariots rolling by pulling their ropes individually amid chants of "Jai Jagannath" by thousands of pilgrims, including foreigners. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Radharamn Das, a trustee of Digha Jagannath Dham and vice-president of Iskcon Kolkata, said, "The chariot festival in Digha has been organised following all the rituals of the Puri temple. However, as this is the first time the festival is being held here, the CM was adamant about not compromising on security. Therefore, the general public was not allowed to pull the chariot ropes. Instead, two ropes from the chariot were passed through a barricade, allowing everyone to touch them. " "The CM decided every aspect of this year's festival. Accordingly, Balabhadra's chariot was placed first, followed by Subhadra's. Jagannath's chariot brought up the rear," he said. All devotees and visitors at the temple received prasad on Friday. The district administration are now preparing for Ulto Rath on July 5. "Although the chief minister may not be present here during the return journey of the chariots, there will be no compromise on security," an official said.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Time of India
CM Mamata Banerjee reviews Rath Yatra readiness in Digha; urges caution amid huge crowd influx
DIGHA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday oversaw preparedness for Friday's Rath Yatra in Digha and extensively reviewed crowd-management measures, asking police to stay alert to avert any stampede-like situation. More than 2.5 lakh people are expected to participate in the seaside town's first chariot festival after the inauguration of the Jagannath temple. Banerjee, who reached Digha on Wednesday to keep tabs on arrangements, said the Yatra would begin at 2.30pm and proceed along a barricaded route. A 750-metre stretch from Jagannath Dham to Masir Bari at the old Jagannath temple has been barricaded. Around 3,000 policemen will be deployed along the route. 'People will not be allowed on the road to pull the chariots. All devotees will stay behind barricades to avoid any risk of stampede,' the CM said, adding that the chariots' ropes would be extended towards the barricades for people to touch them. The announcement came after Banerjee held an administrative meeting that was attended by ministers Aroop Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Sujit Bose and senior district and police officials. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata 'People can visit the temple. There is no issue if they arrive early, but they must leave after the visit. It is difficult to accommodate a large number of people at once on the temple premises. This is the first time we are organising this festival. We request that both Yatra days (Friday and July 5) be peaceful. All preparations have been made. The Yatra will conclude by 4 pm,' the CM said. Radharaman Das, a trustee of Digha Jagannath Dham and vice-president of ISKCON Kolkata, said, 'The CM is personally monitored the situation to ensure there are no problems due to the crowd surge.' On Thursday, Digha was bursting at the seams as thousands of people poured in and every hotel room in and around the seaside town was booked. Bipradash Chakraborty, joint secretary of Digha Sankarpur Hotelier's Association said hotel occupancy was over 70% on Thursday and was expected to be over 90% on Friday when more devotees reach the town to witness the festival.' Late on Thursday, at least 200 buses packed with devotees left Kolkata for Digha. 'I was visiting my home in Gujarat for a week and on learning about the chariot festival here, I decided to visit the town. I have been to Puri earlier, but being part of Digha's first Ratha Yatra would be a memorable experience,' said Anwar Shah, who lives in California. Swati Dey from Kasba, who reached Digha on Thursday said, 'We could not come here when the temple was opened in April. So, we decided to visit the temple during Ratha Yatra. We booked the hotel last month.'
India Today
19-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
BJP slams Bengal government over Muslim shops making Jagannath temple prasad
West Bengal's Digha Jagannath Dham finds itself in controversy after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised objections to the preparation and distribution of the prasad by Muslim-owned IT Cell head Amit Malviya on Tuesday took to social media, criticising the Trinamool Congress-led government. Malviya posted a document online listing several names he identified as Muslim sweet shop shops, he alleged, have been involved in preparing Gaja and Pera, sweets that are being distributed as prasad associated with Lord Jagannath. Sheet shared by BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya highlighted the list of shop owners. advertisement 'Mamata Banerjee is trampling on Hindu sentiments with impunity in West Bengal! In the Suti 1 Block of Murshidabad district, sweet shops and ration dealers - majority of them Muslim - have reportedly been entrusted with the preparation and distribution of Gaja and Pera, which are being labelled as Prabhu Jagannath Dev's sacred prasad,' he wrote on added, 'This is not just administrative carelessness. This is a deliberate provocation. In Puri, even today, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the Jagannath Temple - such is the sanctity attached to the Lord and His traditions. And yet, in Mamata Banerjee's Bengal, prasad meant for devotees of Lord Jagannath is being sourced from shops run by those who do not even follow the faith!'Calling the incident 'targeted sacrilege,' the BJP leader claimed that Hindus and Jagannath devotees are 'deeply hurt,' terming it a violation of tradition and religious similar concerns, Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, criticised the distribution of Digha Jagannath Dham prasad through Muslim-run establishments. 'It is hurting our sentiments,' he response, senior Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim rejected the allegations, calling them 'mean thinking".Defending the state government's position, Hakim said, 'Bhagawan is for everyone and his prasad is also for everyone. This whole world is created by God and if a prasad is for him, then it is for everyone. One who is willing will accept it, and one like Suvendu Adhikari, who is an atheist, will not accept it.'West Bengal's Jagannath Temple in Digha was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 30 this year. The temple is a replica of the main Jagannath Temple in Puri, new temple has since led to several political controversies between BJP and Trinamool.
