festival of chariots (4)

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Amidst thousands of tourists in the picturesque destination, the ISKCON Gold Coast, Bhakti Centre Surfers Paradise hosted their annual Festival of Chariots, commonly known as Ratha Yatra. This vibrant celebration held along the coast not only signifies a cultural and spiritual milestone but also reflects the perseverance and dedication of the local devotees and community.

The early years of organizing the Rath Yatra were not without obstacles, said Madhavananda Das, a prominent figure from the

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There are several interesting episodes about the origin of Rath Yatra stated in Vedic scriptures.

(1) In the Vedic scripture 'Srimad Bhagavatam', it is said that devotees celebrated this day when Shri Krishna and Balram left Gokul for Mathura in a chariot. This was known as Rath Yatra. 

(2) After Lord Krishna delivered the evil Kansa, he gave darshan to devotees in a rath with Balram, in Mathura.

(3) When Lord Krishna was in Dwarka, on the west coast of Saurashtra, he once took his sister,
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Jagannath Ratha Yatra

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At the height of Indian summer, right at the beginning of the Monsoon, the Lord of Puri goes to his garden palace for the annual summer vacation. Originally the festival has its foundation in the residents of Vrindavan bringing back their Lords, Krishna, Balaram and Lady Subhadra from Kurukshetra.

Today in Puri He, the Lord of the Universe travels in some style from his temple in Puri, to his garden temple, located outside the town centre called Gundicha. Thousands of Hindus flock to see, and

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On Saturday, May 20th, devotees celebrated the 22nd year of the Festival of Chariots at the beach and Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville, Florida.

The popular gathering, attended by devotees and locals alike, served out more than 1,200 plates of prasad throughout the day. In addition, about 500 individually packaged date fruits with a “Have a DATE with us” invitation were distributed by Lilla Purushottam Das and his wife Rukmini Dasi during the first 10 minutes of the procession.

Many booths were

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