The Jagannatha Ratha Yatra festival is celebrated at the 12th century Puri Jagannatha temple in Odisha every year on Ashadha shukla dwitiya. The three deities, Lord Jagannatha (Krishna), Balabhadra (Balaram) and Devi Subhadra are pulled in three chariots to another temple and are brought back after nine days. About a million devotees from Odisha and the neighboring states participate in this festival.
The HTCC Madrid temple has been celebrating this since 2009. Please bring your family with children as they get to pull the Ratha first and enjoy going around the temple lawn with dance and kirtan. There will also be a complimentary dinner for everybody at the end of the festival.
Hindu YUVA at ISU arranged for the rides to and from the Madrid Temple, IA for ISU students (and staff) interested in attending the Shree Jaganath Rath Yatra. About 25 people from ISU participated in Rath Yatra with zeal and enthusiasm. They also helped in serving the prasadam and cleaning the temple after the event.
Dr. Sudhanshu Dash acknowledged the efforts of Hindu YUVA team for bringing about wonderful participation in the event and also wished that this continues in future.
Overall, the event was a great success where everyone got the opportunity to witness the spectacular Rath Yatra and also enjoy the delicious food!
Event Details:
When: June 29,2014 (Sunday)
Where: HTCC Temple, Madrid IA
What: 4PM-Pooja, 5PM-Pahandi (Procession),
6PM Aarti, 6 30PM- Prasad/Dinner
Here are some pictures from the Ratha Yatra.
