Despite an uneasy relationship with the devotees, the reluctant Melbourne City Council had granted permits for the noon-time parade. To attract crowds to the starting point, two devotee couples were married at an authentic Vedic ceremony in the City Square that morning. City Council officials and police, deeming the ceremony unauthorised and the fire illegal, chased Mohanananda, the officiating priest, a considerable number of city blocks before finally losing him in bustling, Saturday morning shopping crowds.
The event, as well as joining the couples together in holy matrimony, had also succeeded in drawing even larger crowds to the busy City Square, a focal point for the festival.
Under bleak mid-winter skies, the Ratha-yatra parade rolled down Collins Street. Although granting permission, the local Council had insisted that the double-decker bus be hitched to the cart as it edged down the steep grade "just in case the brakes failed".
An "eleventh hour" accident had almost cancelled the parade. The back axle had bowed only hours before commencement, but miraculously, after hasty repairs, the parade reached the City Square only a little late. There the devotees and guests had their first glimpse of Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra, Who were standing 120cm high and smiling mercifully from their chariot.
A gigantic feast was offered to the Deities in front of the Melbourne Town Hall. Then the colourful chariot, accompanied by joyous chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra and cries of "Jaya Jagannatha" (all glories to Lord Jagannatha) rumbled along Swanston Street. Many onlookers, young and old, were swept up into the spirit of the event and joined the devotees in grabbing the strong, red ropes to heave the massive chariot along the road. Devotees threw date-and-coconut sweets to the eager crowds. The joyous festival ended at a hall in Lonsdale Street.
Devotees and guests alike appreciated the full-length drama and were moved to dance and chant blissfully at its resounding finale. The Ellis D. Fogg Light Show Company pumped out psychedelic coloured images on the walls amidst coloured slides of Krsna and Srila Prabhupada as the chanting grew in intensity. Finally, everyone feasted on a multi-course prasadam feast -- spicy carrot subji, pappadams, halava, date balls, coconut honey balls, and apple chutney. The first annual Ratha-yatra festival was deemed a resounding success.
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
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