Different Ratha Yatras in the news -

Devout gathering: Thousands of devotees taking part in the car festival of the Varadharaja Perumal temple at Kancheepuram on Thursday.

a foto: http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/27/stories/2005052714500400.htm

Devotees witnessing Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple car festival in Madurai.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip.../04/24/&prd=th&

Padaladri festival

THE BRAHMOTSAVAM of Sri Paadaladri Narasimhar, Singaperumalkoil, Kanchipuram, is being celebrated

a nice foto of a Narasinha vigraha:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip.../05/21/&prd=fr&

Pulling temple car constitutional right for everyone

"...seeking to permit Dalits to pull the Swarnamootheeswarar Temple car at Kandadevi, the judges said, "in our opinion, to deny them the right to participate in the pulling of temple car is a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution."

http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/18/stories/2005061808270100.htm

"Dalits continue to be kept out of the car festival in Kandadevi, a village in southern Tamil Nadu, despite judicial directives. "

http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2214/stori...15005712700.htm

Controversy over Kujang car festival

Statesman News Service

JAGATSINGHPUR, July 5. — Lakhs of people eagerly await the world famous car festival at Puri and in other parts of the state. But the rath yatra of Lord Jagannath at Kujang continues to be embroiled in a controversy.

At least 40 youth organisations have vowed to celebrate the car festival after a gap of 70 years. But the Baldevjew Trust Board of Kujang and the district administration here is not so sure.Legend has it that Kujanga estate was ruled by the kings of the Sandha dynasty since early part of the 15th century.

During the reign of Bidyadhar Sandha one temple, the Baladev jew temple, was installed at Kujanga and later this estate suffered from a catastrophic famine in 1866. The estate was put to auction due to non-payment of revenue and the Burdwan of Bengal became the owner of this estate.The people of Kujanga were under the Raja of Burdwan (1869-1952) till the estate was taken over in 1952 by the state government.Old timers of the region claim that car festival was affected due to paucity of funds and for over seven decades it has not been held due to various reasons.

The Raja of Burdwan had donated 100 acres of land for Baldevjew temple and installed 30-market complexes to generate the income of this temple.During the 30s a Baladevjew Trust Board was formed.

Meanwhile, local people, including 40 youth organisations, have decide to observe the age-old car festival after 70 years but Trustee Board has not agreed to it. The youth organisations, led by a newly-created Rath Yatra Kriyanustan Committee led by Tusarkant Mohanty has drawn up plans to observe the car festival.

They have threatened agitational measures and a jail bharo movement if the trust board and administration do not facilitate holding the rath yatra.The tehsildar of Kujanga, Mr Narottam Behera, however, explained the reasons for not holding the festival.

There is no “mausima mandir” where the deity can be taken to, he observed.

Tight security at Mahesh

Statesman News Service

SERAMPORE, July 7. — The preparation for the 609-year-old rathayatra is in full swing at Mahesh in Serampore where millions of people are expected to throng to offer their prayers.

Following the terrorist attack in Ayodhya, extra precaution has been taken by the district administration. Senior police officials have been deployed to maintain security.

“We have taken special care this time as far as security is concerned following the Ayodhya incident,” said Mr Nanda Kumar Biswas, DIG, Burdwan Range who visited the temple this morning.

“We are getting full cooperation from the police. This time 3,500 policemen will be manning the area to prevent any untoward incident,” Mr Soumen Adhikary, chief sebait (priest) and working secretary of Mahesh Juggernaut Temple and Rathayatra Festival, said.

After 31 years the old chariot has been renovated at a cost of Rs 2 lakhs. The entire cost was borne by Joyguru Ashok Kumar Mukhopadhyay Seva Kendra Trust.

A host of celebrities from the tinsel town, including film director Anjan Chowdhury, Chumki Chaudhury, Rina Chaudhury, Bidisha Chaudhury and Ramkumar Chatterjee, Purnadas Baul along with political leaders have been invited to witness the festival. The yatra will start at around 3-30 p.m tomorrow, according to Mr Adhikary.

"MAHESH'S SNAN YATRA

It is often said that after the Snan Yatra of Puri, 'Nilkantha' bird is seen sitting on the Jagannath temple of Mahesh, in Sreerampur only 23 km from Howrah. Lord Jagannath on his way to Snan Yatra had rested on the banks of river Ganga in Mahesh. From then it acquired the status of a holy place. Even today thousands of pilgrims who undertake Snan Yatra (pilgrimage) flock to Mahesh for their holy dip.
Mahesh acquired its importance when Drubananda Brahmachari started the Snan Yatra. Around 500yrs. ago he had gone to the Jagannath temple of Puri to offer the Lord offerings (bhog) with his own hands but the sevaks did not allow him to make such offerings. Anguished he went without food and almost killed himself but it is told that in his dreams the Lord directed him to Mahesh. Drubananda Brahmachari went to Mahesh. One rainy night he found 3 wooden trunks of neem tree floating near the banks of river Ganga. With these wooden planks he sculptured them into the Lord Jagannatha, his brother Lord Balarama & their sister Devi Shubhadra. These wooden sculptures are still worshipped today unlike the Puri's idols which are changed every 12 years.


MAHESH'S RATH
After the Snan Yatra it takes 2 weeks to re-varnish and polish the idols which is known as "Angorag or Rupankan". A yagna is then performed and the deities are then kept on the alter and the temple door is re-opened for the devotees. This is known as "Nabajouban Utsav". On the second day or "dwitia"is the Rath Yatra. Unlike the three raths (chariots) of Puri, Mahesh's Rath Yatra is graced with only one chariot but it is a four storied chariot. Earlier this rath was made of wood but because of its deteriorating condition, in the year 1292, the Dewan of Shyambazar, Krishnaram Basu made the present rath. It is made of iron and wrapped up with wood. It was built by Martinbarn company, 50 feet high with nine temple tops and weighing 125 tonnes. England's Joy Engineering company built the 12 wheels of the chariot. In front of the chariot are 2 copper horses and wooden swans. It was worth Rs.20,000 then. The idol of Lord Jagannath is placed on the top most part of the chariot. From Mahesh the Rath goes to Kunjobati, Lord Jagannath's aunt's place. For nine days with Balarama & Shubhadra Lord Jagannath stays there and returns on Skukla Dashami which is known as Ulta Rath. "

from: http://www.bangalinet.com/rath.htm

Muslim duo to flag off Rath
- By Subhasish Chaudhuri
Asian Age



Mayapur, July 7: ISKCON headquarters Mayapur at Nadia is wearing a festive look for the Rathyatra on July 8. However, keeping in mind the Tuesday trouble at Ayodhya, an unprecedented security cover has been allotted for the base. Along with the state police force, combat force and SAP personnel have been also deployed to thwart any subversive activity. This apart, extra police camps have been posted inside the ISKCON campus.

In a show of solidarity the Rath’s journey for Mayapur on Friday will be flagged off by justice Riyazul Hussain of the Calcutta High Court and Abu Taher, mufti of a local madrasah.

Additional security force has been made for along the two-kilometre road which the Rath will take from Rajapur to Mayapur.

No less than tens of thousands devotees throng to Mayapur during the week-long Rath festival. With foreigners debarred from participating in the Rathyatra at Puri, Mayapur has gained an added value. Nearly 500 foreign visitors are expected to participate in the chariot fest this year. Cottages, hotels and guest houses at Mayapur reported a full occupancy on Thursday, the eve of the festival.

Meanwhile in Kolkata, DC (HQ) Anuj Sharma briefed that apart from the smaller Rathyatras in the city, the major two are organised by ISKCON and Tramandir Trust respectively. “Additional security cover, including commando force, has been provided for both,” he added.

Small addition:

Mahaprabhu himself went to Mahesh to give the instruction to the priest about ritual to worship Jagannatha.

Row over rathyatra tree chop

"Around 10.45 am, while on his way to Writers’ Buildings, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee spotted the shorn trees along Albert Road, off Camac Street.

“I was coming down the road and suddenly, I saw so many trees chopped off. At first, I couldn’t figure out what had happened — there had been no storm lately,” Bhattacharjee recalled later."

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050709/asp/...ory_4967804.asp

(Iskcon Calcutta is located at Albert Road)

Over 1 lakh attend Rathyatra

- By Our Correspondent
Asian Age

Ahmedabad, July 8: The 128th Rathyatra of Lord Jagannath passed off peacefully in the city amid religious fervour and colour and heightened security measures, in wake of terrorist attack on Ayodhya. More than one lakh people participated in the Rathyatra.

The day started as early as 2 am on Friday with thousands of people gathering at the famous Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur for the Mangalaaarti. The aarti, which usually takes place at 4 am, was performed at 3 am on Friday. After offering morning prayers to the Lord, the Rathyatra was flagged off by chief minister Narendra Modi at around 6.50 am.

The city skies were filled with cries of Jay Ranchhod Makhan Chor as its streets teemed with people, welcoming the chariots as they passed through various narrow turns of the Walled City.

15,000 police and security personnel, and three additional companies of paramilitary forces that were pressed into service at the last moment, ensured that the Rathyatra passed off peacefully.

The striking feature of the Rathyatra 2005 was the pace at which the entire procession passed from different areas of the Walled City. The procession that began from Jagannath Temple at around 10 am reached Saraspur at usual time, between 1 pm and 1.30 pm. The entire procession reached the Jagannath Temple by 7.30 pm, almost 90 minutes before the scheduled time.

In the sensitive Dariapur area, police ensured that none of the akhadas spent more than necessary time to demonstrate martial skills. Additional commissioner of police (sector-II) Ashish Bhatia said prior meetings with shanti samitis along the yatra route ensured that everything went off smoothly.

Sixteen elephants, 98 trucks with different tableaus, 30 akhadas, 18 bhajan mandalis and three bands accompanied the Rathyatra.

At Jamalpur, the Tazia Committee members organised a grand reception for the yatra, as per the tradition. Mayor Aneesa Mirza and Congress leaders sought blessings of Mahant Rameshwardas of the Lord Jagannath temple.

As the yatra headed towards Khamasa area, a minor incident spread tension. However, police intervened before it snowballed into a major incident and the procession headed for Khadia.

The Rathyatra took a halt at Saraspur, which is also identified as the mosal (maternal home) of Lord Jagannath. Over one lakh people dined in the lanes and bylanes of Sarapur.

From Saraspur the three Raths headed for Kalupur and then Prem Darwaja. At Prem Darwaja a unique picture of communal harmony and amity was presented as for the first time Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Parsis welcomed the Raths with floral tributes. After passing through Prem Darwaja, the chariots entered Dariapur, the most sensitive stretch of the Rathyatra. Here, people of the minority community observe Janta (public) for prevent untoward incidents and avoid confrontations. Even the police observes greater vigil in the area and the patrolling teams here are armed as against lathi-wielding policemen elsewhere along the route.

Interestingly, police resorts to loud whistle blowing whenever the chariots pass through communally sensitive areas. The exercise is undertaken to drown name-calling and slogan shouting from both the sides. The other measure used by police is to ensure that patriotic songs blare out from loudspeakers in sensitive areas.
The Rathyatra came to an end at 7.30 pm.

Youth falls off chariot, crushed by wheels

Pioneer News Service / Bhubaneswar

An unidentified youth was crushed under the wooden chariot wheels on Friday during the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Cuttack.




Eyewitnesses said a youth in his 30s tried to climb the chariot when it started rolling in Badambadi area. He fell down and came under the wheels of the chariot. He was rushed to the SCB Medical College Hospital in a critical condition and succumbed to his injuries.



In a separate road accident at Konark, one Sanjay Behera, 22, was killed on Friday when the Maruti van he was traveling in along with his friends crashed with a roadside tree. Behera died on the spot while his friends Manoj Pradhan, 25, and Laxmi Narayan Das, 26, were admitted in the Konark hospital in a serious condition. The youths were returning from Puri after visiting the Ratha Yatra.



In yet another mishap near Pallahada, two persons died and 37 others injured when a truck carrying 64 people met with an accident on Friday near Khamar, 120 km from here on NH-23.



Police said 64 villagers of Balipasi village under Khamar police limits were coming in the ill-fated truck to visit the Ratha Yatra at Khamar. The driver of the truck could not negotiate a turn and lost control over the speeding truck.



The vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a roadside ditch. Out of the 37 injured, 22 were shifted to Angul and the SCB Medical College hospitals as their conditions deteriorated.



Harihara Gauntia, 45, and another succumbed to their injuries while on their way to Cuttack. The Angul collector rushed to the spot soon after the incident. The district administration has engaged eight vehicles to shift the injured to the hospitals.



However, no untoward incidents or mishaps, barring a few incidents of pick-pocketing were reported from the pilgrim town of Puri which saw gathering of a mind-boggling eight lakh devotees.

The mood held by devotees at a ratha-yatra procession, according to vaisnava kavis such as Govinda das and Candidas, is that of deep lamentation in viraha. Despite its colors and grandeur, it is a festival of tears, actually.


At Kurukshetra, the gopis described to Krsna the state of Vrindavana in His absence. Hearing their words, Krsna began to weep very loudly, and He was about to become senseless. Govinda dasa writes in Radharani's mood, "O Krsnacandra, now You are staying very far away in Madhupuri, in Mathura. But what is the condition of Vrndavana? All the Vrajabasis are feeling so much pain and distress in separation from You. They are calling, 'Kanu, Kanu!' But there is no answer, only an echo responds.

'Krsna! Kana, Kanu! O Kanu, where are You?’ Even the birds are calling, 'Where are You? O Kanu, where are You?'

'Yasodamaiya and Nanda Baba are also crying. They are crying so much, tt is as if they have become blind; they cannot see anymore. They are only sitting and crying. They have no strength.'

'They are practically only skeletons. There is practically nothing else left of their bodies. They are about to die because they are not eating. For whom will they cook?'

'They have no strength in their bodies. They cannot even stand up.
And what is the condition of all Your cows and friends? Because they cannot hear You calling them by Your flute, the marketplaces and the roads are all deserted. No one is there; no one at all.'

'Kusuma tyajiya ali ksititale lutaka. Not only that, but even the bumblebees who were very busy collecting honey are now so upset that they have left the flowers. Even the bumblebees are crying and rolling on the ground in the pain of separation.'

'All the trees look drab and distressed. The peacocks are no longer dancing and the pigeons are no longer singing. The cuckoos are silent; they are no longer calling, 'Koohoo, koohoo.' All are feeling great pain in separation from You.'

'Virahini rai virahajvare jare jare. Srimati Radharani is burning and burning in the fever of separation. Everywhere, in all directions, everyone is sinking in the ocean of separation from You, and even the Yamuna cannot flow anymore. This is the condition of Vrndavana! The water that is seen in the Yamuna is actually the tears coming from the gopis’ eyes.'

"Tuhu se rahili madhupura: Why are you staying so far away in Mathura? All in Vrndavana are about to die.”


In very patheric words, in a song in a language unparalled in the world, the poet Candidas tells how Srimati Lalita sent a message to Krsna with a traveler who was going to Mathura. She said, "Tell Krsna, very cruel Krsna, sukera laghiya egara bahinu aguna puriya."

sukhera lagiya, ei ghara bandhinu, agune pudiya gela

"I built a kutira, a house, in order to be very happy there, but that house was at once burned in a fire. I wanted to take bath in amrta sagara, the ocean of nectar, in order to make my heart susitala, very cool, but instead it was crushed and burned. I wanted to go to the ocean to take bath and to make my heart soft, but I saw that all the water was gone. There was no water at all. Then I looked towards the moon so that some of its cooling rays would come, but it turned out that those were not the cool rays from the moon, but very, very hot rays of the sun that came and burned me.

ucala baliya, acale cadinu, padinu agadha jale

"I thought I was in a very high place where there was no water, but instead I see that I’ve fallen in an ocean of endless water. I wanted wealth, laksmi, but I became penniless. Manika haranu hele. A very valuable jewel came in my hand and at once it was gone.

nagara vasalama, sagara bandhilama, manika pavara ase

"Nagara vasala. In order to have a valuable jewel from the ocean, I built a city near that ocean. Sagara bandhilama. Then I made a dam to move that ocean from one side of the dam to the other. However, when that ocean was finally drained, manika lukala; the jewel was nowhere to be seen. It was hidden somewhere due to my misfortune. Piyasa lagiya jalada sevinu. To quench my thirst I looked towards the clouds, but bajara padiya gela; a thunderbolt came on my head instead of rain.

"I loved Krsna in order to be happy. I gave my body, mind, heart and soul and everything to Him, but He left me. The fire of separation came and I was burned. Krsna’s love is endless like the ocean, and I wanted to take bath in that ocean; but what happened? The water dried up and a great fire of separation was there instead. In this way everything was burned in separation. What should I do?" If Krsna would hear all of these things, what would happen? He would not survive.

It is said that this mood of the gopis speaking to Krsna was the mood at Ratha-yatra. This was the mood of Caitanya Mahaprabhu during the Car Festival; He was feeling all of these sentiments. No one can explain the mood of the gopis without the help of the mood of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. His mood was passed on through Sri Svarupa Damodara to Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, who expressed it in their writings.

We are invited to realize all these moods in our lives.

It may work for some time, like walking a tightrope that is as thin as a razor. But one slip and.. well it also doesn't help when the rope keeps moving.

Jagannath rath yatra concludes in city
The Deccan Chronicle

Visakhapatnam, July 16: Bahuda Jatra of Lord Jagannath, the concluding function of Ratha Yatra was he-ld at Jagannath temple und-er the auspices of Utkal Sa-nskrutika Samaj and Jagannath Temple Committee at Steel Township here on Saturday. A large number of devotees pulled the chariot amidst bhajans at Steel Township. This was preceded by the traditional Cherapohara (sweeping of rathas with golden brooms) performed by the director, finance, Mr P K Bisnhoi of the Steel Plant.

The chariot moved through the roads of township where in thousands of residents of Ukkunagaram worshipped the deities on the chariot. Later in the evening, the function was marked by a unique cultural programme “Chow Dance”, performed by the artistes from renow-ned Mayur Art Centre of Bhubaneswar. It was a harmonious blend of classical, traditional, folk and tribal dance form.

The “Chow Dance” which was originated from Mayu-rbhanj district of Orissa was displayed its unique style as it was performed without masks. The dance comprised Kshatriya, Dandi, Shavara, Sagarasangamam and Chakravyuha.

MALKHED: The 639th Aradhana Mahotsava of Sri Jayatirtha, the second outstanding personality in the Madhwa movement, was held on Monday with religious fervour at Uttaradimutt on the banks of the Kagina in the erstwhile capital city of the Rashtrakuta kingdom, Malkhed, in Sedam taluk.

http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/26/stories/2005072605600300.htm