OdishaPlus Bureau
Hindu devotees congregated in Fremont to celebrate the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath organized by the Fremont Hindu Temple in San Francisco Bay Area of California in the USA.
The car festival of the Trinity was held on June 27 while the return journey of the deities was organized on July 4. The festival was celebrated with certain restrictions as the country is reeling under the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Ratha Yatra rituals started with offering pooja to deities, “pahandi” to the chariot which was followed by “chhera pahanra” and other rituals before the chariot was pulled by a limited number of devotees to the Gundicha Temple.
Radhika Saini from Nataraj School of Dance performed traditional Odissi dance in front of the chariot before the chariot was pulled by the devotees with Kirtan and Bhajan and the chants of “Jai Jagannath” led by Kirtan Mellows of Silicon Valley Iskcon temple. Prasad was prepared for the deities and distributed amongst the devotees. Then, the deities were taken to the Gundicha temple in the beautifully decorated chariot. The rituals ended with bhajans by Bay Area artiste Alka Bhatnagarji and Odia singers and devotees that filled the environment with devotion.
Bahuda Yatra, the return journey of the Trinity, Suna Besha, and Niladri Bije were celebrated with equal devotion by the devotees of Lord Jagannath. For the thousands of devotees who could not join the celebration, a live telecast of the Rath Yatra was organized.
“Due to the COVID pandemic, festivals such as Holi and Shivaratri could not be celebrated. However, by Lord Jagannath’s grace we could follow our annual tradition of completing rituals of Rath Yatra,” Dr. Romesh Japra, Chairman of the Fremont Temple while adding that “it’s a blessing for us that due to the efforts of the temple management and some devotees, this could happen.”
He lauded the contribution of Late Deba Mohanty who was instrumental in initiating Ratha Jatra in Silicon Valley, here at Fremont Hindu Temple. Rajesh Verma, President of Fremont Temple echoed the same sentiments and invited devotees to participate in the Temple’s online activities.
“This year, Rath Yatra and Bahuda Yatra were virtual… one of a kind memorable event that our devotees enjoyed from the safety of their homes and praying that the COVID-19 pandemic will go away soon,” said Reena Patnaik and Mahesh Pakala, trustees of the Temple and members of the Odia community who coordinate and organize Rath Yatra and other festivals of Lord Jagannath at the Fremont temple.
The Fremont Temple tried to maintain the last 26 years’ tradition of the annual car festival amidst the coronavirus pandemic with the belief that Lord Jagannath, the God of the Universe, will shower His blessings on the devotees across the world to overcome these difficult times.