Ratha Yatra Report
by Samba Das
Posted July 1, 2009
By the blessings of Srila Prabhupad and all the vaishnvasa our maiden
Rathayatra festival turned out to be very successful with thousands of
people attending the program.
The 30 ft high Ratham with a collapsible canopy was tastefully decorated
with very beautiful flowers and balloons. There were five different kirtan
mandalis apart from our local devotees singing kirtans. There was also
Nadaswaram parties,kolatam dances,people dressed as different characters
from Ramayan and Mahabharath entertaining the crowds,decorated horses and
Continuous mass prasadam distribution of Pulihara, laddu, Sweet
pongal,bananas etc.was part of the procession. 600 Rajasthani Sanskritik
mandal members distributed Water Pkts,Butter milk, soft drinks through out
the procession.More than 200 police personel and 8 bomb squad were present
all through the program.The procession ended at the Gurujada kalakshetram
were the deities were taken on the stage and offered Chappan bhoga and
arrati followed by Bhajan program,Discourse and feast Prasadam for life
members.
This programme was covered by all the print and electronic media. Some
newspapers gave full page, half page, quarter page article with colour
picture. Many TV Channels gave Live Telecast. Four M.L.A. s of Visakhapatnam
city inaugurated the festival.
You can paste the below given link in your browser to see how one of the
English daily "THE HINDU" has reported about our rathayatra,also see
attached the scanned images of other telugu newspapers along with some
Rathayatra photos.
Click Here for stories in Hindu.com
you can paste this picasa url in your browser to see few pictures
Click Here for pictures at picasaweb.google.com
Jai Jagannath !!
Countdown to KulimeLA
by the Kuli Mela Organizers
Posted June 25, 2009
KulimeLA 2009 Poster
KulimeLA 2009 Schedule
Saranagati Ratha Yatra
by Karunamayi Dasi
Posted June 23, 2009
Saturday, July 4th marks the annual Jagannath Rathayatra in Saranagati, BC.
Kindly join us for a wonderful procession through the valley and culminating in a wonderful feast at the festival site by the lake. Then stay on for some entertaining stage presentations, roof-lifting kirtans, swimming, bhajans and drumming by the bon fire and Saranagati's famous open-fire-french-fry prasada.
For more information, please contact Uttama dasi @ uttamadd@yahoo.com
11:00am - 9:00pm
Saranagati Vedic Village
Venables Valley Rd
Ashcroft, BC
World Holy Names Week Events
by Ram Prasad das
Posted June 17, 2009
- Internet Sankirtan Party: we are asking for at least 50 temples to participate in sankirtan-yajna for 4 hours on Saturday, September 5, and for another 4 hours on Sunday, September 6. What is unique about this kirtan festival is that a single kirtan will be taking place in over 50 temples, as if we were all in one big temple room with many altars. One temple will do the "call", and the other temples will do the "response."
- We are also asking each temple to organize a 50-person Harinam party for the 50th-year Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's Sannyasa (Friday, September 4).
- Japathon: we would like all devotees and congregational members to make a japa commitment for World Holy Names Week (September 2 through September 11). In a ten-day period, four devotees chanting 16 rounds will chant more than 1 million Holy Names, and 4000 devotees will chant 1 billion Holy Names. So it is very likely we will be able to chant several billion Holy Names during World Holy Names Week. His Divine Grace Om Visnupad Paramahamsa 108 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada spent eight years chanting 1 billion Holy Names. If we can chant several billion Holy Names during this ten-day period, let us make that our worthy goal for our purification and the pleasure of our acharyas.
If your temple is not listed on the pull-down list, we will add your temple to the list. If you are a Nama-hatta preacher and would like to sign up Nama-hatta members, please contact us so that we can keep track of your commitments.
We humbly request you to join us for these three events, and we look forward to hearing from you at kirtan@krishna.com We will do everything we can to make World Holy Names Week successful at your temple as well as globally. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Detroit Rathayatra
by detroitiskcon.org
Posted June 12, 2009
Detroit 2009 Rathayatra
Novi Civic Center
Saturday, June 20th, 2009, 10 AM
Map and directions.
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ISKCON Padayatra 25 Years
by Gaura Krishna das
Posted June 26, 2009
1984 marked the year when ISKCON devotees set out from Dwaraka on the first
ISKCON padayatra ever. H.H.Lokanath Swami was amongst the padayatris and
many other senior devotees from ISKCON took part. It became a grand success
and when they returned to Dwaraka after a full round of India all of
Dwaraka came out to recieve them. Since then the All India Padayatra has
circumambulated many times and are just about to complete yet another round.
This padayatra, which could be named the mother of all other padayatras in
ISKCON, has inspired many other padayatras around the globe and on this day
we have more than 20 padayatras going on every year in many contries around
the globe. To celebrate that ISKCON has managed to conduct 25 years of
padayatra in so many contries and to inspire another 25 years of padayatra
on a bigger scale than ever before, we here at the ISKCON Padayatra Ministry
are preparing several events throughout the year.
We want to invite you all to come to ISKCON Pandharpur, Maharashtra, India
on the 27th of August on the most auspicious Radhastami day to celebrate
with padayatrisis from around the world.
We are preparing a grand festival with padayatra stories from sannyasis and
devotees who did padayatra. There will be cultural programs with dramas and
multivision presentations. We will all go for Vitthala Darshan, which is
unique on the planet, and take bath in the holy river Candrabhaga. There
will also be cow/bull puja and seminars and off course lots of tasty and
juicy prasadam for everybody. We are expecting to be 4.000-5.000 devotees
together.
Please join us and make it a most unforgetable and inspiring event.
We will also issue a special edition of the Padayatra Magazine featuring
interviews and stories by old and present padayatris. We will bring reports
from around the globe of ongoing padayatras and a schedule for the upcoming
padayatras near you.
We have also opened a padayatra conference on Pamho: "Padayatra Worldwide"
where we will post the latest news and share ideas and experiences with all
of you. Please send us your feedback on this conference.
We look forward to be with you.
Chandan Yatra Festival
by Rama and Murli, ISKCON Murari Sevaka
Posted June 25, 2009
On Saturday, July 11th 2009
3rd annual!!!
Come and have darshan of Sri Sri Nitai-gourachandra
covered in cooling sandalwood paste
Join us in a lively procession, chanting the holy names of the Lord in a kirtan led by Gadi Prabhu. Help us carry the Deities of Chota Goura-Nitai and Srila Prabhupada in a palanquin to the pond where we will all offer Them abhiseka. Listen to a wonderful lecture by our guest of honor, His Holiness Hanumat Preshak Swami, and end the transcendental evening with a delicious vegetarian feast.
Schedule
3:00pm Bhajans by Gadi das
4:00pm Parikram (Procession)
4:25pm Abhiseka and kirtan
5:00pm Maha Arotic
5:3pm Lecture by Hannumat Preshak Swami
6:00pm Free Vegetarian Feast
Sponsors needed
Prasadam
Flowers
Abhiseka
For more information contact Rama at Murari_sevaka@yahoo.com or call 931-759-6888 address; 532 Murari Lane Mulberry, TN 37359
37th Annual Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) - Toronto - July 18-19, 2009
by Yashoda Singh
Posted June 21, 2009
New Remuna Dhama, ISKCON Toronto, would like to extend a warm invitation to devotees around the world to experience our 37th Annual Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) on July 18-19, 2009! Toronto's Ratha-Yatra has the unique distinction of being accredited by Madhuha das, the organizer of the traveling Festival of India tour, as being the largest Ratha-Yatra in North America with close to 40,000 people in attendance along with a plethora of Srila Prabhupada's books sold each year!
Rocking Kirtan Down Yonge Street!
The weekend festivities kick off with the famous Ratha-Yatra parade beginning at Yonge and Bloor on July 18th at 11:00am. The parade features three beautifully decorated chariots making their way down world-famous Yonge Street amidst ecstatic kirtan! The highlight (and most unique part of Toronto's parade) is when the kirtan reaches its pinnacle in the "Toronto Tunnel". Chaos ensues as the parade cruises under a highway overpass and the resulting acoustics cause the sound levels to go through the roof! There's nothing else like it - imagine a sea of devotees jumping, dancing and singing to the pulsating beat of mrdangas and karatalas while their voices echo in the famous Toronto Tunnel! It is definitely not to be missed!
Festival of India at Centre Island!
After the vibrant parade down Yonge Street, celebrations continue at Centre Island for the remainder of the weekend where there will be delicious prasadam and a stunning Arts & Culture showcase including performances by the Krishna Culture Festival Tour and dramas presented by HH Bhaktimarga Swami. Also featured at the festival are a South Asian Bazaar, exhibits, a children's area, and much more!
Yoga Meltdown
Celebrated as a "festival within a festival", on Sunday July 19th, the Second Annual Yoga Meltdown will present Toronto's vast yoga community with a chance to unwind, rejuvenate and invigourate themselves with a free outdoor yoga festival dedicated to presenting the beauty of bhakti-yoga and Krishna consciousness to yoga enthusiasts.
Non-Stop Kirtan!
For the second year in a row, the Toronto Ratha-Yatra will also feature a "Bhajan Kutir" at Centre Island with non-stop kirtan! Kirtaneers from all over North America will gather to glorify the Holy Name! This is one area of the festival that no kirtan-lover should miss!
Distinguished Guests at Festival of India!
We are very happy to have a fantastic line-up of distinguished VIPs attending this year's Ratha-Yatra celebrations, including: HH Bhaktimarga Swami, HH Gopal Krishna Maharaja, HG Malati devi dasi, HG Dravida das, HG Krsna Nandini devi dasi, HG Partha Sarathi das, and many more!
We look forward to seeing and serving you on July 18-19, 2009! To find out more about our festival, please visit our official festival website: www.feedyoursoul.to
Gita Nagari Ratha Yatra
by Ortrun Gates
Posted June 16, 2009
This year's 33rd annual Ratha Yatra at Gita Nagari Farm in Port Royal, PA promises not only to be a treat to those who have visited the farm before, but especially for those among you who have never had the opportunity to attend. Since this is a farm festival and we do not have the same constraints as city festivals, we have devised a slightly different, day-long program for our visitors.
The festivities will take place around the garden and cow pastures in the vicinity of the old factory building. Plans are in the works for tours of the garden, barn, the refurbished (still under construction) bramacari ashram, cow and oxen tour. We'll have a petting zoo for young and old, as well as pony rides. If you are lucky, you might even be able to watch the cows being milked, or, maybe you can milk one yourself? Later in the afternoon, when the heat has subsided somewhat prepare for a wood cutting and butter churning contest. Prizes to be awarded!
The day starts at 8 am with the arrival of and reception of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva, and Lady Subhadra. Breakfast will be served from 9 am to 10 am.
At 10 am a Go Puja talk is scheduled with feeding of the cows afterward. We are very fortunate this year that one of Gita Nagari's well wishers has donated two milkers and the naming ceremony will take place at that time. For your more mundane pleasures, the food court and vendors open their stalls at 10 am and will be available until 7 in the evening.
The first drama of the day is performed at 11 am leading directly into the procession with talk and kirtan at 12 noon. The procession takes a slightly different route this year, but will still wind its way up to Govardhan Hill before coming back down to earth and the festival grounds. The feast is scheduled to be served at 3 pm, with the second drama following at 5 pm.
This festival will be a day to be remembered!
Please check out the link below for this year's flyer and don't forget to go to our website www.gitanagari.org for directions. Please phone 717 527 4101 for further information.
Click Here for the poster in Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf)
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