In riot-hit Ahmedabad, rath yatras have become a cause of discord. The Jagannath Temple Trust had at first turned down pleas to change its route — citing tradition — although they later agreed to scale it down.

But what is the tradition? In Orissa, for instance, the centuries-old rath yatra at Puri, which has spawned numerous clones including the Ahmedabad rath yatra, actually takes a detour to halt at the tomb of a 17th century Muslim saint, Salbeg, who spent his lifetime singing praises of the Lord but was never allowed to step inside the temple. The orthodox pandas wouldn’t hear of it. Legend has it that the rath, carrying the deities, Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, refused to budge at the auspicious hour till the saint, thrown out of the city on the yatra eve by the conniving pandas, was sent for. Since then the yatra has halted at his nondescript math at Balagandi, now his tomb, every year.

The origin of the yatra, held during the Ashadh month of the lunar calendar, is shrouded in mystery as much as the Jagannath cult that holds sway in much of the east. It marks the day the Rig Veda, the oldest Veda, was revealed. It possibly has a parallel in the chariot procession of the Buddha’s tooth at Dantapuri (old Puri). Another school says it signifies Krishna’s travel from Gokul to Mathura. But what’s clear is that it was started to allow lower castes, not allowed to enter the temple (prior to independence), to have a darshan.

Since then not much has changed. The yatra still draws at least 5 million people, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Vaishnavs and Shaivas, every year. It winds its way through the bada danda, the main thoroughfare of Puri, on a three-km journey to the Gundicha temple, dedicated to the consort of King Indradyumna, who historians say built the first Jagannath temple.

Its secular character owes much to the Jagannath cult as to the liberal views of the state’s medieval rulers. Before the Orissa kings chanced upon Lord Jagannath, he was worshipped in the jungles by the tribal Gonds.

In between the temple also came under the Bhaumas of Assam, who were Buddhists. They named the deity Nilanchal, after the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. The Shaivaites worship Balabhadra, as Shiva, whereas followers of the Shakti cult worship Subhadra as Mahakali. Jagannath is also worshipped by the Jains.