Sri Ramanujacharya’s Emar Matha Has Lost Its Splendor

In Srikshetra (Puri), the Jhulan Utsav (Swing Festival) is being celebrated with much pomp and grandeur in many mathas (monasteries), including the Srimandir. Large crowds are also gathering to have a darshan of Mahaprabhu amidst colorful canopies (kunja). However, amidst all this glitter and ceremony, the Jhulan Jatra of the 800-year-old Emar Matha, founded by Sri Ramanujacharya, seems to have faded.

Emar Matha and the Fading Jhulan Jatra

At Emar Matha, the evenings during the Jhulan Jatra were once filled with gatherings of devotees. The atmosphere would be vibrant with festivities, including traditional Odissi music, Mardala recitals, Odissi dance, and Gotipua dance performances. Today, it seems to have truly lost its charm. The towering swing canopy is no longer seen, there are no crowds of devotees, and the performances of Odissi music and dance have ceased.

The older celebration described here shows why Emar Matha mattered as a cultural gathering place during Jhulan Jatra: devotion was accompanied by Odissi music, Mardala, dance and Gotipua performances, while the large swing canopy gave the festival a strong visual identity. The change described in the article is therefore not only about a smaller celebration; it also reflects the disappearance of many artistic and communal elements that devotees once associated with the matha’s festive evenings.

It is worth mentioning that after large portions of Emar Matha were demolished between 2011 and 2023 following a decision by the then-government, it is as if an evil eye has been cast upon the matha’s Jhulan Jatra. This is what we are witnessing in the year 2025.

We hope that in the coming future, the glory of Emar Matha will be restored, and we will once again get the opportunity to witness that grand swing canopy along with traditional Odissi music and dance performances.

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