In a traditional display of devotion during Rath Yatra, Sunday witnessed the customary ‘chhera pahanra‘ ritual across the state, including in Puri, where kings and male royal scions swept chariot floors.
However, in Gadamadhupur, a former princely state in Jajpur district, queen Aparna Bhir Singh Bharadwaj (43) performed this traditionally male-dominated ritual.
She became the first queen in the state to do ‘chhera pahanra’ 16 years back after her father Birabara Krunshaprasad, the former king of Gadamadhupur, passed away.
Dressed in royal attire, the queen was crowned by the priests of Jagannath temple before the ritual. Conches and bells rang out as she swept the floor of the wooden chariot.
Hundreds of villagers and others from nearby areas were present, watching the proceedings with keen interest.
“As per royal tradition, I was crowned as the queen after my father’s demise. In many royal families, women are not entitled to ascend the throne. But our royal tradition is different, and we do not believe in gender bias,” said Aparna.