India’s Soft Power: The Case of Ratha Yatra

 Keywords: Ratha Yatra, Puri, Odisha, Religious Tourism, Cultural Diplomacy, Soft Power

Date:25th June 2023

In the contemporary globalised world, countries foster relations by leveraging their soft power as an important foreign policy tool. Soft power as a tool advocates non-coercive power projection through culture, shared values and norms. It is the ability to influence others without the use of coercion. 

India is increasingly being recognised as a potential soft power with a rich cultural heritage and a historical religious hub that attracts millions of pilgrims of major religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. To bolster its potential, attempts have to be made towards promoting cultural exchanges, restoring ancient sites and religious tourism.

The Global Soft Power Index 2023 report placed India at 28th rank out of 121 nations. In its executive summary, the report concludes “India as a nation brand has a lot of as yet unrealised potential and ought to become a true Soft Power superpower in future."  

Religious tourism has traditionally been a vital instrument of India’s soft power and enhancing its spectrum through strategic communication may help advance the country’s foreign policy objectives with the ability to shape bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. The launch of ‘Incredible India!’ to boost the tourism campaign in 2002 was part of the early attempts at India’s soft power projection. 

Ratha Yatra of the state of Odisha is a beautiful example of socio-cultural inclusion contributing towards religious tourism. This annual car festival breathes on the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). Millions of devotees visit to witness the grand procession of the oldest Jagannath Rath Yatra of Puri in the state of Odisha. 

It is known worldwide as the Car (Chariot) festival that brings together millions of devotees and tourists across the globe in its spiritual journey. Celebrated in June or July every year, the Ratha Yatra festival has become an important aspect of this shared culture.

As noted by the Ministry of Tourism of Odisha, in the Jagannath Puri-Bhubaneswar-Konark-Chilika Circuit, also known as the Golden Triangle Circuit of Odisha, Jagannath Puri is found to be the most popular and attracts the most tourists. This shows the huge potential for growth in investments in cultural diplomacy and promoting tourism. 

To increase the number of inbound tourists, seamless connectivity is a must. The Odisha government has been undertaking the project of Sri Jagannath Puri International Airport (SJPI) that has the potential for attracting more international tourists. As per government statistics on mode of transportation, 87.5 percent foreign tourists enter India via air travel. 

Expected to be completed in 2025, the SJPI project is likely to enhance pilgrimage tourism drive to the Golden Triangle circuit with the potential to raise India’s soft power projection. At present tourist services to Puri city is through the Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar that is about 53 kilometres away. 

According to Statistical Bulletin 2021 published by the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha, Puri City alone received 13.4 million visitors (domestic and foreign) in 2019, though the number dropped in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tourism industry has become a pillar of growth and development through creation of employment, poverty reduction and generation of revenue for the betterment of society. To enhance religious tourism, better connectivity is imperative and projects such as the SJPI is in the right direction towards a holistic development of state tourism. 

There is a need for greater synergy at various levels to intensify tourist activities by accommodating the interests of all stakeholders such as state tourism departments, the union ministry of tourism and the larger tourism industry such as the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) to boost religious tourism. 

The potential of religious tourism such as the Ratha Yatra signifies that it could play an important role in building India’s soft power projection. According to UNESCO, 60 percent of the world’s population practises a religion, this significant portion forms a strong base for religious tourism globally. 

The number of religious tourists visiting places of pilgrimage fluctuates, yet it is evident from recent data released by the ministry of tourism, government of India that the number of domestic tourists that visited places of pilgrimage were 1,433 million in 2022, while 6.64 million foreign tourists visited India. The earnings from religious tourism reached Rs 1,34,543 crore in 2022, up from Rs 65,070 crore in 2021, the data further stated. 

India is home to several major religious sites and schemes such as PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) is geared towards promoting pilgrimage and heritage sites by providing financial assistance to state governments and union territories. 

With growing emphasis on religious tourism, a holistic approach that brings under its ambit aspects of ensuring safety and security, better accommodation and sanitation facilities as well as efficient crowd management of religious tourists visiting places of pilgrimage will all go a long way towards development and promotion of religious tourism in India.

Nikita Agarwalla is a PhD scholar, Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Pondicherry University.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above and the information available are those of the author/s and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the position of Asian Confluence