Jamshedpur:Hundreds of people belonging to various communities took part in the “rath yatra” of Lord Jagannath that was held here on Saturday. Devotees of all ages joined hands in pulling the chariot.
International Society for Krishna Consciousness ( ISKON) organsied �Rath Yatra� from Ram Mandiram in Bistupur to Sakchi Dhalbhum Club. Bhajans, kirtans and kolatam dance were performed all along the procession.
A blend of religious zeal and passion convert the streets and alleys of the city into a kaleidoscope of colors and gaiety. Festival began with a huge fanfare of drums and cymbals. They were accompanied by music and dancers.
�For us it is the most important event of the year. Every year the yatra is taken out with pomp and show. Moreover we also believe that the human body itself is the chariot of the almighty and our senses are the horses that pull the chariot.
And the rath yatra symbolizes taking our body in the right direction,� said Bhagwan Das, priest of the mandir.
The rath yatra began in the evening and it took more than two hours for it to reach its destination. Children, dressed as Sri Krishna and Balarama and other mythological characters participated in the procession, were the cynosure of all eyes.
Maintaining the more than a seven decades rich tradition, the Rath Yatra Committee of Jugsalai organised a grand �rath yatra� during which the Lord Jagannath was worshipped with his elder brother Bala-Rama and his sister Subhadra.
�The event is inspired from the Puri Jagannath Yatra, our forefathers started it more than seven decades though several other committees too take out yatras but we have maintained the tradition with full devotion,� noted Pradeep Gupta, a member of the committee.
It may be mentioned that similar on lines of Rath Yatra at Puri, the Rath Yatra Committee at Jugsalai has been taking out the march from last seven decades. Such is the popularity of yatra that a place in Jugsalai has been named �rath gali� after it.
On the other hand like every year another city-based Rath Yatra Festival Committee took out rath yatra from Baridih. In this yatra too people in large number participated to seek the blessings.
Such was the reverence among the devotees that they had made a beeline to witness the yatra. Several devotees were present on the temple premises today itself to take part in the journey.
�The heat wave failed to deter the spirit of our members, who actively participated in the event. The devotion the participants show is tremendous and motivates us to organize the event on grand scale,� said A K Mahanty, a committee member.