Guest guest Posted July 12, 2003 Report Share Posted July 12, 2003 By Jayapataka Swami (a letter to Kavicandra Swami) All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I was able to visit the 15th Annual Durban Rathayatra Festival. The Festival is really impressive. It is now held over the Easter weekend from Friday to Monday (four days). They have beautiful gates inviting people to enter, and there are posters all over the city. Literally tens of thousands of people come every day. The first day they distributed about 25,000 plates of free prasadam. The second day they distributed 35,000 plates. Every day it increased. Over the four days over 120,000 plates of free prasadam were given out. It is nice prasadam: birani rice, dal, and halavah. They have a large circus-style tent that holds over 10,000 people seated. Non-stop programs were held there from noon till after ten in the evening. I spoke in this main tent one evening also. There is a whole campsite with many tents all around. I didn't count, but it seems like 15 or more, big and small. There are two Question & Answer tents where different sannyasis and senior devotees give classes and answer questions in one-and-a-half hour shifts, also from noon till 10 in the night. Also, there were other tents: Temple Tent (where Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra are worshipped), Chant & Be Happy Tent, Cow Protection Tent, Gopi Dot tent, Govinda's Restaurant Tent, Food for Life Promotion Tent, Temple Projects Tents, BBT & Book Distribution Tent, Childrens Tent, Snack Bar Tent, Gifts & Devotional Paraphernalia Tent, Pizza Tent, Information Booth, and several other tents as well. Friday and Sunday there were fireworks in the evening. Saturday there was a Rathayatra procession, which went along the Durban City Beach front and through the downtown area for four hours or more. There must have been about 40,000 persons witnessing and participating in the procession. People from all races were joining into the celebrations, which is something nice after the apartheid separation that used to plague South Africa. ISKCON is representing the racial integration that South Africa is trying to achieve. Devotees and guests asked many nice questions, and I was kept so busy that although we were on the beachfront I didn't find time to take a bath in the ocean. I wish I could have stayed for the full festival, but because of important RGB national meetings in India, I had to return early. From what I have observed, the fair grounds and festivities of Durban Rathayatra Festival are the most elaborate in the ISKCON world. Kolkata Rathayatra Festival has more people pulling the chariots, lasts for a longer period (nine days), and distributes more free prasadam, but the fair grounds and extensive arrangements on the site are not quite as variegated as Durban's. I was told that the budget for the festival in Durban is around 100,000 US dollars, which is quite an amazing expenditure for a festival. Prema Caru das came with me and was assisting me. The local devotees took care of me very nicely. I don't know if you have ever visited this festival, but it would be nice to come. This year the Soweto African devotees were very active, and the African preaching seems to be increasing there. Your servant, Jayapataka Swami Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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