On July 13th the devotees at Govindaji Gardens celebrated Lord Jagannatha's annual Ratha-yatra festival. This was the very first time that the Ratha-yatra was observed at the ashram. At 9:00 in the morning all the devotees gathered in the library to watch the live TV feed of the Ratha-yatra in Puri.
Later in the evening at 6:00, devotees and guests gathered outside Lord Jagannatha's temple and sang bhajanas before taking Lord Jagannatha on His chariot around the temple complex. The ratha, accompanied by the kirtana party and devotees carrying torches and festoons, went around the temple ten times as guests and devotees enthusiastically pulled the Lord's ratha and chanted His Holy Names.
Later, H.H. Bhakti Vijnana Giri Maharaja spoke on the significance and history of Ratha-yatra in Puri, how the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra were rescued from the Buddhists by Visnusvami of the Rudra sampradaya, and the meaning of Ratha-yatra for Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Maharaja also explained the appearance of Lord Jagannatha in Puri according to Puranic accounts.
Twenty items were offered to the Lord including traditional items that are offered to Lord Jagannatha in Puri such as khaja, sweet-dahl, payasam and jackfruit. During the arati, devotees took part in an enthusiastic kirtana singing the glories of Sri Jagannathadeva.
After the temple function, devotees and guests (including some surprise guests from Orissa) honored Lord Jagannatha's prasadam. After the program, many devotees expressed their appreciation for the sweet Ratha-yatra festival.
