বাংলায় পড়ুন
Nabadwip’s Mayapur is often referred to as the spiritual capital of the world. Mayapur is the headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Thousands of devotees of Lord Krishna visit Mayapur at least once in their lifetime. Many festivals take place here and Rath-yatra is one such festival among them. It is the festival of Lord Jagannath meaning “Lord of the World”. Lord Jagannath is another form of Lord Krishna. Mayapur’s ISKCON is entirely devoted to Lord Krishna, hence the festival of Rath Yatra holds great significance for the followers of ISKCON. ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, which is a devotional tradition based on the teachings of Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Sri Chaitanya of Bengal is believed to be a direct incarnation of Krishna by the devotes. He is known to bring about a bhakti movement all over the country. Sri Chaitanya was the source of innumerable philosophies of Krishna consciousness which is widely followed here at Mayapur.
Rath-yatra is a huge celebration that requires early planning. Every year the officials announce their plans for the celebrations. This year it will be celebrated with fervor and pomp from 4th-12th July. The news was declared by the Coordinator of Rath Yatra Committee at a press briefing. three chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, Baladev, and Subhadra will the temple at 1.30 pm on 4th July. The journey will commence from the ISKCON Rajapur temple and it will end at the main ISKCON Mayapur campus. The entire journey will cover a distance of 6km. The chariots will pass through Bamanpukur, Balaldighi, Chand Kazi Samadhi, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Janmasthan.
Lord Jagannath and his siblings rest for 9 days at his aunt Gundicha’s house. This year the committee has organized a fair at the Gundicha temple along with different cultural programs, performed by professional artists. The programs will take place every evening. Every year people from around the world come here at this time of the year hence the crowd is huge. To manage the huge crowd, elaborate security arrangements. There are plans of setting up medical booths also to attend medical emergencies.
Rath-Yatra is an annual festival which is popular in Odisha, Jharkhand, and the Eastern region. ISKCON is gearing up for the festival as only a few days are left for that.
