16-7-15
NEWS RELEASE
Subject: Thiry fourth annual Jagannath Rathayatra festival organized by ISKCON Baroda
Sir/Madam,
On the auspicious day of “aashadh shukla dvitiya”, (“aashadi beej”), Saturday, July 18, 2015, ISKCON Baroda is once again organizing for the thirty fourth consecutive year the Jagannath Rathayatra Mahotsav (festival) at Baroda.
It is not inaccurate to call this one of Baroda City’s largest cultural and religious festivals! The local response to the Rathayatra festival has become “overwhelming”!
The Rathayatra procession will be inaugurated at the Baroda Railway station at 2:30 PM, following established tradition, by the Honorable Mayor of Baroda, Sri Bharatbhai Shah. He will inaugurate the procession by sweeping the road in front of Lord Jagannath’s Rath, as the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri does, at Puri, annually, following the ancient tradition that has been intact for centuries!
Smt. Awantika Singh, IAS, District Collector of Baroda will be the Chief Guest at the inauguration of the procession.
Local social and political leaders from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress Party, including local MLAs, Municipal Councilors, will also be present for the inauguration. Also present will be a number of life patron members and supporters of ISKCON, as well as a large number of members of the general public.
ISKCON leaders H.H. Bhakti Vikas Swami, ISKCON Gujarat Chief Sriman Jasomatinandan Das, Basu Ghosh Das, President of ISKCON Baroda, Sriman Bhaktivinoda Das, President of ISKCON Chandigarh, Sriman Murlimohan Das, Temple President of ISKCON Vijayawada, and Sriman Satchidananda Das, Temple President of ISKCON Vallabh Vidyanagar, Sriman Nityananda Ram Das, Vice President Iskcon Temple Baroda, and sixty five students from the Bhaktivedanta Gurukul Mayapur, Nabadwip, West Bengal, will be attending the Rathayatra festival.
Also a large number of devotees will be attending the Rathayatra festival from various parts of India.
ISKCON Baroda Bhakti Vriksha and Iskcon Youth Forum (IYF) devotees, headed by Mantresh Gauranga Das, Ram Keshav Das, Nimai Nitai Das, Vamsidhari Das, Ram Govinda Das and Ram Gopal Das will distribute books throughout the Rathayatra procession.
Fifteen tons (15,000 kgs) of “halava” prasad, all cooked in “deshi ghee” will be distributed from four trucks moving behind the Rath cart. Later on at ISKCON Baroda, full plates of prasad will be distributed to approximately forty thousand visitors, and ISKCON life patron members!
The procession will proceed from the Railway station at 2:30 PM to Sayaji Bagh, Kalaghoda, Salatwada naka, Koti Kacheri, Raopura Main Road, Jubilee Bagh, Padmavati Shopping Center, Sur Sagar, Dandia Bazar, Khanderao Market, Lal Court/Nyaya Mandir, Madan Zampa Road, Kevda Bagh and end at the Baroda High School, opposite the Polo ground at around 8:00 PM.
All are invited to attend.
Jagannath Rathayatra mahotsav ki jaya!
Yours in the service of ISKCON Baroda and Lord Jagannath,
Basu Ghosh Das
President
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