The annual Hindu Chariot Festival or Ratha Yatra season begins this week in Europe. A series of religious processions exhibiting the cultural richness of Hinduism have been planned across the streets of major cities in the continent between June and September 2011.
Ratha Yatra 2011 Calendar: When and Where
June 4: Heidelberg
June 12: London
June 12: Berlin
June 18: Antwerp
June 19: Crawley
July 3: Paris, France
July 24: Birmingham, UK
July 31: Leicester, UK
August 6: Cologne, Germany
August 14: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
September 3: Leipzig
September 10: Brighton
September 17: Cardiff
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) sponsors these parades featuring huge decorated chariot with colorful canopies carrying images of the Hindu deities Lord Jagannath, a form of Krishna, his elder brother Balabhadra, and younger sister Subhadra, wearing silk clothes and decorated with flowers. These divinely decorated carriages are pulled by devotees as the sound of Hindu devotional music, backed by double-headed mridanga drums and kartala hand cymbals fill the atmosphere. A multitude of dancing devotees dressed in traditional Hindu attire accompany the procession. Free vegetarian feast is served to the participants at the launch of the parade, giving a taste of India.
Ratha Yatra is said to be the oldest known parade in the world and it is believed that pullers of this Lord Jagannatha's chariot receive immense spiritual benefit. Popularized outside India by ISKCON founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, this annual parade festival has reportedly been held annually in over 50 major cities in USA, Canada, Europe, etc., since 1960s.
The ancient Hindu scripture Katha Upanishad talks about the concept of chariot, where soul is the deity, body is the chariot, and intellect the charioteer. Another holy text, the Skanda Purana glorifies Ratha Yatra's sanctity. The grand Ratha Yatra of Puri falls on July 3, 2011.
Every year in mid-summer, Lord Jagannath, with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, goes on vacation, travelling on grand chariots, from his temple in Puri, to his garden palace in the countryside. This belief of the Hindus has given rise to one of the biggest religious festivals in India — the Rath Yatra or the Chariot Festival. This is also the etymological origin of the English word 'Juggernaut'.
Jagannath, believed to be an avatar of Lord Vishnu, is the Lord of Puri — the coastal town of Orissa in eastern India. Rath Yatra is of great significance to the Hindus, and especially to the people of Orissa. It is during this time that the three deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out in a grand procession in specially made gigantic temple-like chariots called raths, which are pulled by thousands of devotees.
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