22nd annual Sri Jagannath Rathayatra at Baroda, Gujarat

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Home Base: ISKCON-Baroda

 

Dear Maharajas, Prabhus, Matas, kids, etc.,

 

Namonamaha. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

 

The 22nd annual Sri Jagannath Rathayatra Mahotsav was observed in a grand

way here at Baroda on Tuesday, 1 July, 2003: the auspicious day of Aashadh

Shukla Dvitiya, when Rathayatra is observed annually at Sri Purushottama

Kshetra, Sri Jagannath Puri Dham.

 

Since "seeing is believing", as the old adage goes, along with this report

are several pictures of the Rathayatra procession.

 

The Rathayatra was attended by H.H. Bhakti Vikas Swami, H.H. Bhakti

Vishrambha Madhava Maharaj, and Sriman Mahaman Prabhu (co-TP of ISKCON

Vrindavan). Devotees from Vrindavan, Chandigarh, Jhansi, Ahmedabad, Rajkot,

Vallabh Vidyanagar, and even a group of 5 devotees from Salem, Tamil Nadu,

besides the participation of many local congregational devotees. Several

visiting devotees from abroad also participated in Rathayatra.

 

The Mayor of Baroda, Sri N.V. Patel, and the District Collector/District

Magistrate, Sri Bhagyesh Jha, led the dignataries who joined in inaugurating

the Rathayatra. Several MLAs: Sri Bhupendra Lakhawala, Sri Jitendra

Sukhadia, Sri Diluba Chudasama, BJP City President Shabdasharan Brahmbhatt,

Ex-Minister Nalin Bhatt, Leader of the Opposition in the City Council, Sri

Dalsukhbhai Prajapati and many Municipal Councilors were present too.

 

The Rathayatra went off peacefully, as usual, and there was participation

and observation by thousands, even lakhs (hundreds of thousands!)

 

The local print and electronic media - TV is big in India these days - gave

extensive coverage to the procession.

 

The procession was led by 2 Elephants, 4 horses, 8 camel carts - some which

had children in costumes, and two brass bands. There was ecstatic kirtan

throughout the 5 hour, 8 kilometer procession, led by various devotees...

 

After the Rathayatra, 10,000 people took full prasad at ISKCON's Sri Sri

Radha Shyamsundar Mandir on Gotri Road, Baroda, where many thousands of

people came for darshan in the evening.

 

Hope this finds you well.

 

Vaishnava dasanudas,

 

Basu Ghosh Das