Celebrating for 10 years, the devotees of Lord Krishna have started the Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra at Shivaji Park on Saturday. The two days festival will see a footfall of lakhs of devotees and is known as one of the biggest Jagannath Rath Yatra, a Hindu festival celebrated apart from the one organized in Puri.
The three hours procession of the chariot was carried on Saturday in some areas of Dadar starting from Shivaji Park, Sena Bhavan, Plaza, Maruti Mandir, Portuguese Church, Gokhale Road and other bylanes of the area.
ISKCON spokesperson Lucky Kulkarni, said, “The festival began with a Maha Arati performed by Radha Gopinath Prabhuji, president of ISKCON Girgaum Chowpatty temple. A special outfit has been made by the devotees from Vrindavan for Lord Jagannathji with brother Baldev and sister Subhadra.” A replica of Balaji temple is one of the highlights in the procession. Besides this, devotees will be preparing 108 bhogas to be offered to Lord using four broad groups of grains, milk products, vegetables & fruits.
Kulkarni, added, “We set a route so that everyone gets darshan of the lord and see the procession. Through the procession, the devotees get a chance to pull the rath. Few of the foreigners will also be visiting the procession.”
According to the members, last year around five lakh devotees visited the two days festival. The rath yatra has been happening since 1961 when it first started in Boston. It is believed that the person who pulls the chariot/rath of Lord Jagannath, go to heaven.
ISKCON spiritual leader Radhanath Swami from Radha Gopinath Temple, Girgaon Chowpatty said, “Shivaji Park Rath Yatra is one annual festival that brings along a large number of devotees from across the communities, casts, creeds, and sects of the society in the service of the Lord.”
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