Pune Celebrates 8th Annual Jagannath Rath Yatra with Grandeur
Pune, 7th July 2024: Jai Jagannath, Jai Balaram, Jai Subhadra… Hare Ram, Hare Krishna… echoed through central Pune as the Jagannath Rath Yatra Mahamahotsav, organized by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Pune, took place with a grand celebration. The festivities, starting from Tilak Road’s SP College, were accompanied by the rhythmic sounds of traditional instruments from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bengal, and Odisha.
The Rath Yatra, an annual event held with great enthusiasm at Jagannath Puri in Odisha, has been celebrated in Pune for the past eight years. This year’s event saw participation from various dignitaries, including MP Medha Kulkarni, Maharashtra’s Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, MLA Madhuri Misal, MLA Bhimrao Tapkir, Chairman of the Maharashtra Goseva Commission Shekhar Mundada, and Savitribai Phule Pune University Advisory Board Member Rajesh Pande. The ceremony commenced with an aarti performed by ISKCON Sannyasi H.E. Krishna Chaitanya Swami, Prabodananda Swami, and ISKCON Temple president Radheshyam Prabhu in the courtyard of SP College.
The 20-foot-high chariot, adorned with colorful cloths and flowers, carried the idols of Lord Jagannath, Baladev, and Subhadra. The Rath Yatra was coordinated by ISKCON officials and devotees, including Vice President Sanjay Bhosale, Spokesperson Janardan Chitode, and Rath Yatra Coordinator Anantagop Prabhu. The chariot procession traveled through SP College, Abhinav College Chowk, Bajirao Road, Shanipar Chowk, Nagarkar Talim Chowk, Lakshmi Road, Shagun Chowk, Raman Bagh School, Omkareshwar Temple, Balgandharva Rangmandir, Jungli Maharaj Road, Khandujibaba Chowk, Tilak Chowk, and finally back to SP College.
The event featured fireworks, colorful displays, and the showering of flowers along the route. Social and religious organizations, as well as temple representatives, welcomed the Rath Yatra with enthusiasm, and many monks and prominent figures participated in the procession.
Following the conclusion of the Rath Yatra, a grand aarti was performed, and 56 bhogs were offered to the Lord. Prasad was distributed to nearly 20,000 devotees at the college premises, both at the beginning and the end of the procession. Additionally, one lakh prasad packets were distributed along the Rath Yatra route.
The Rath Yatra, a centuries-old tradition in Jagannath Puri, is celebrated to bring Lord Jagannath, Lord Balarama, and Subhadra out into the streets to give darshan, blessings, and grace to the people. Recognizing that not everyone can visit Jagannath Puri, Acharya Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, initiated the Rath Yatra to spread the grace of Lord Jagannath worldwide. In Pune, the deities from the ISKCON Katraj-Kondhwa Road Temple are brought out for a special darshan during the Rath Yatra. ISKCON has temples in Pune at Katraj-Kondhwa Road, Camp, and Nigdi, all of which participate in the grand celebration.
