Street Parade

Cultural Stage Show

Free Vegetarian Feast

Harinama every week till the Rathayatra in Liverpool.

There is a Harinama in Liverpool this Saturday at 11am for the upcoming Liverpool Ratha Yatra.

Date: Saturday, 10th May 2008

Place: Liverpool, starting from NRMA car park.

For details contact Ananda on 0412 474 295
or email Arvind.Baldeo@optus.com.au

LAST YEAR'S EVENT:

Article in the Liverpool Leader before the event

Front page article in the Liverpool Leader after the event

See news below for onlone story from the Liverpool Champion.

HISTORY OF RATHA-YATRA

Ratha Yatra, the Festival of The Chariots, originated thousands of years ago in Jagannatha Puri in Orissa on the North Eastern coast of India, where it is still observed by the entire population. Over 5 million people attend the event, and it is also celebrated in every town across India. The main event is the enthronement of three large deities – Jagannatha (Krishna), His brother Balarama and Their sister Subhadra – each onto Their own wooden chariot. These three huge chariots are then hauled by ropes held by hundreds of Their devotees along a parade route lined by admirers, worshippers and spectators.
The carved and colourfully-painted chariots, liberally bedecked with flowers and garlands, are accompanied by enthusiastic kirtana (congregational chanting) sung by tens of thousands of devotees. After the procession there is, as at all Vaisnava festivals, a large feast of Krishna prasadam for all participants.
The deities who grace the chariots are kept throughout the year within temples where They are worshipped daily in a regulative way. But once a year They emerge in order that the public may see Them. Krishna thus presents Himself as Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe (from which we get the English word "juggernaut" meaning a large truck or chariot).
Over the last thirty years Ratha Yatra has been introduced into many cities around the world such as New York, London and Sydney by ISKCON's founder Srila Prabhupada, and his followers. As an outdoor street festival it never fails to attract the attention of the public and media and has become a much loved and appreciated event in many urban calendars to the delight of members of ISKCON.

RATHA-YATRA WORLDWIDE

Since Srila Prabhupada organised the first Ratha-Yatra in the Westernern world in 1967 in San Francisco, the festival has been celebrated yearly in all corners of the world. Apart from dozens of cities across the United States, it has been held in over 60 countries such as Canada, South America, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Europe, Poland and Australia. The first event held in Australia was in Melbourne in 1974 which Srila Prabhupada personally atttended. Since then, Ratha-Yatra has been held in Sydney, Byron Bay, Perth, Wollongong and Newcastle.

SIGNIFICANCE AND BENEFITS OF RATHA-YATRA

500 years ago, the festival became the center of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, who is Krishna Himself appearing in the guise of a great devotee. Each year Lord Caitanya danced and chanted in the Ratha-Yatra festival along with His associates. The Vedic scriptures state that anyone who sees Lord Jagannatha or pulls His chariots achieves immense spiritual benefit, attaining liberation from the material world and entrance into the eternal blissful pastimes of the Lord.

2006 RATHA-YATRA IN SYDNEY CBD

Although the festival has been held continuously in Sydney and surrounding regions, this year we are very happy to bring Lord Jagannatha and His associates and devotees into the heart of the city for the benefit of all it's citizens.

Please join us for this very special event, held in conjunction with the annual Holi festival in Darling Harbour by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. During the two days of Holi in Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour (April 1st & 2nd) Lord Jagannatha will be worshipped with great opulence and will be available for darshan during that time.

PARADE ROUTE
Begins at Hyde Park fountain, Elizabeth Street, Market Street, George Street, Liverpool Street, finishing at Darling Harbour

SPONSORS – For details of sponsorships and advertising for the event, please contact: Sundara-nanda Gopal on 0425 213 776 or Vijaya-gopikesh on 0419 382 105.

AROUND THE WORLD – (U.S. & Canada) New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Gainesville, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Tampa, Baltimore, Boston, Boise, Buffalo, Phoenix, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Honolulu. (U.K.) London, Dublin, Leicester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Brighton, Bristol. (Europe) Paris, Budapest, Amsterdam, Denmark, Netherlands, Berlin, Belgium, Zurich, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Malaga, Budapest, Hungary, Bulgaria. (Russia/Far East) Croatia, Serbia, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Saratov, Ekaterinburg, Siberia, Omsk, Vladivostok, Vladimir. (India/Asia) Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Mathura, Bhubaneswar, Mayapur, Baroda, Bangalore, Luidiana, Surat, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Bangkok, Bali. (Africa) Durban, Johannesburg, Kenya, Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Lenasia, Ghana. (Australasia) Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Byron Bay, Newcastle, Wollongong, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington. (South America) Brazil, Peru, Guyana. – and many more!

Ratha-Yatra 2006

The recent Ratha-Yatra festival in the city was a huge success. Organised in conjunction with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Holi festival in Darling Harbour, the parade began in Hyde park at 10am and traversed through the heart of the city past Pitt St Mall, down George St and past Town Hall before going down to Darling Harbour's Tumbalong Park where it ended and the Holi festival commenced.
Many devotees and guests came for the event which was the first time it was held in the Sydney CBD since the early 1980's, and the general public seemed happy and pleasantly surprised to watch the parade on a sunny Saturday morning.

Many thanks to everyone who organised and helped in any way with the festival and prasadam stall, especially the following people:
Gaura-nitai das, Sundara-nanda Gopal das, Ajay-Krishna das, Atma-nivedanam das, Bhakta Ray, Murli-Krishna das, Pandu-Putra das, Vanamali-Krishna das and family.
Thanks also to Priya and Madri devi dasi's for photographs. We hope to bring you more photos soon.

Srila Prabhupada sittting on the chariot in front of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra devi before the parade begins

Radha and Priyadarsani holding the Jagannatha banner

Lord Jagannatha - the controller of the whole universe, in His Deity form atop the chariot

Prabhupada sits on the chariot, St Mary's cathedral in the background

People preparing to pull the ropes of the chariot in Hyde Park

Senior devotees herald the start of the festival with an offering of coconuts and camphor lamps

The festival parade gets underway through the city, passing Pitt St Mall

His Holiness Ramai Swami leads the kirtan party down George St

Fun for all the family!

The back of the Jagannatha banner, being carried through the city before the chariot and kirtan party

The parade passes the Queen Victoria building on George St

The 'horse-drawn' chariot passing Sydney Town Hall

The party goes past Woolworths opposite the Town Hall...

The large crowd of devotees travelling down towards Darling Harbour

Padmanabha in flowing saffron robes beside the chariot

AThe end of the parade and Ramai Swami offers arati to Their Lordships' in Darling Harbour's park

Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra devi in Their temple tent at Darling Harbour's Holi festival,
where they are to give darsahn for the next two days to thousands of fortunate souls! Jagannatha Ratha-Yatra ki-jaya!!

Thanks again to everyone involved. We hope to see you all again next year!!

Holi Photo slideshow http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronchy/sets/72057594096611495/

Read more about Ratha-Yatra here >