Hundreds of followers of Jagannath cult celebrated the Rath Yatra organized by Shree Jagannatha Seva Germany in association with Sivalayam Temple & Odia Samaj Munich in Munich on Friday.
The festivities began in the morning with the puja rituals, followed by daily arati and bhog. Lord Jagannath, along with his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra, was ceremoniously taken out in a Pahandi procession to a beautifully crafted new chariot. Atanu Tripathy, Santana Pracharaka, performed the Chera Pahara (sweeping of the floor) ritual of the chariot.
Despite the working day, around 1,000 expatriate Indians gathered to pull the chariot, with participants traveling from all over Germany. Children, women, and elderly people of all ages came together to seek the blessings of Mahaprabhu.
The atmosphere was filled with devotional songs and kirtans, creating a divine ambiance. The Ratha celebration was followed by a Prasad Seva, where devotees partook in the sacred offering.
Many members of the Indian diaspora and local Germans living in Germany were present to seek the blessings of Mahaprabhu. Consulate General of India Shatrungha Sinha, along with his family, also attended the Rath Yatra, adding to the significance of the occasion.
The organizing committee of Shree Jagannatha Seva Germany (SJSG) expressed heartfelt gratitude to Aryasomayajula Sarma, Kasavala Dhruv Kumar and Bhaskara Pavan Kumar from the Sivalayam Temple management and also expressed their gratitude to Rakesh Mehera, and Praneet , Iskcon Munich for their efforts in making the event a success.
On behalf of Shree Jagannatha Seva Germany (SJSG) Priyadarshan Samal, Deepak Panigrahi and Tanmay Panda expressed heartfelt gratitude to all the volunteers Nitu, Sudha, Suvendu, Biswa, Sushmita, Bijaya, Sanjeeb, Silky,Priya, Alok, Mani, Rajeeb, Gyana,Mukund, Sangram, Bibhu, Binesh, Siba, Sourya, Pragyan, Aseem, Nishi, Soubhgya,Siba many more. The grand Rathayatra was celebrated successfully with their support and time.
Pavan and Dhruv from Sivalayam Temple thanked all the volunteers and the team for organizing such a fabulous event despite the rain and other challenges. His voice resonated with the chants of “Om Namah Shivaya” and “Jai Jagannatha.”