By Surath Rath

Ceremonial King and Queen Jugal and Raj Malani at the Houston Ratha Yatra

HOUSTON: Even though other parts of Houston were washed out with Rain, the Sun was shining happily celebrating the joyous occasion of Lord Jagannatha’s Rath Yatra. More than thousands devotees thronged to majestic India House to have glimpses of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on Rath.

The Orissa Culture Center (OCC) and Shree Govindaji Gaudiya Matha organized the third annual Shri Jagannatha Rath Yatra on 24th July, 2010 at the India House with support from other organizations such as the Hindus of greater Houston and ISKON. The festival was partially supported by the Houston City Art Alliance.

Lord Jagannatha is worshipped in the City of Puri, on the east coast of Odisha for over thousand years and attracts people of all faith and religion. The Houston festival aims to spread this message of universal brotherhood which is the core of Jagannatha Philosophy and integral to the Sanatana Dharma.

The day started with the traditional Hindu ritual of fire worship, the Homa. The Homa is the most ancient of the Vedic rituals and is meant to appease the fire God and purify the environment.

Homa was followed by Netrotsava or Nava Yauvan Darshan festival. It is believed that the deities get fever after the ritualistic bath on Debasnana Purnima. They stay indoors for fifteen days on a strict diet of fruits. During these fifteen day period, the idols are given a fresh coat of paint. Netrotsave is the day, the Lords give darshan to devotees coming out of ‘Anabasara’, the sick room. This two-week period is also known as ‘Anabasara’ and nothing auspicious happens in the state.

The mandap decorated with silks and fresh flowers and appliqué works from Orissa provided a small version of Ratna Simhasan of Puri Temple. The decoration team led by Mrs. Binodini Verma and all Odia ladies, didn’t leave any room, for the lords to complain!! The Lords in the Ratna Simhasan, with the smell of Agarbati and offerings of traditional ‘Chhapan Bhoga’, looked absolutely majestic!

A very nice Bhajan Samaroh was organized and many well known Oriya singers including Swayamprabha Mishra, Sonali Mishra and Dr. Atasu Nayak. It’s said, Lord Jagannatha can’t sleep well without listening Gita Govinda or bhajans by Bhakta Salabega (the legend goes, the Nandighosa Rath came to a halt only to give darshan to his dearest devotee Bhakta Salabega).

In the last three years, annual Chariot Festival has attracted Indians and non-Indians alike. Many dignitaries including Judge Emmet, Mayor Scarcella and Vice Consul of India showed their support for this multicultural festival by attending the event and seemed to be enjoying the beautiful cultural program.

Dr. Aditya Samal of Orissa Culture Center declared the third annual Chariot Festival Open to the packed audience including dignitaries. The dignitaries spoke briefly regarding the importance of the Chariot Festival in Houston and the role played by the greater Indian community in advancing the cultural friendship among different communities. The dignitaries were offered and welcomed with traditional tilaks, sandalwood paste and flowers.

Going with the objective of OCC’s showcasing our rich cultural heritage, this year’s repertoire included Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam and Odissi Dance. The eminent visiting artist Mrs. Aruna Mohanty mesmerized the audience with her performance in Odishi Dance. She was also accompanied by her very talented disciple danseuse Shipra Mehrotra. The bhajans by well known singer Jamuna Murli accompanied on Tabla by Raja Banga, were treat to ears! Rathyatra cannot be completed without Kirtan, a tradion started by Shri Chaitanya, was performed by members of Govinda Gaudiya Matha.

The cultural program was followed by the worship of the deities, the Pahandi procession and finally the chariot procession. The pahandi is a special ritual procession when the Deities come in a row beginning with The Sudarshana (The Celestial Wheel of Lord Vishnu), Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord jagannatha and are carried onto the beautifully decorated chariots. The deities were placed on the 22 ft chariot and the puja ceremony was conducted by Dr. Debananda Pati of OCC and Pandit Bibhudatta Mishra of the Hindu Worship Society.

A large congregation of devotees filled the air with the chanting of Jai Jagannatha. The traditional kirtan (or the name chanting of Lord Krishna) was performed by the members of ISKON and Govinda Gaudiya Matha. Traditionally, “Chherapahanra”, the sweeping before the Lords is done by the King of Puri during the world famous Puri Ratha Yatra. Here in Houston this symbolic ritual was performed by Mr. Jugal Malani of the India House.

The chariot was taken around the pavilion surrounding the India House. All along the procession, a large number of audiences had a chance to enjoy the parade and join the singing of bhajans and kirtans.

One could see a people trying out various vegetarian foods at the booths, while kids were busy getting their balloons from the artiste or getting mehendi done on their tiny palms.

Even though it was getting dark and Maha Arati time was passing by, Lords couldn’t refuse to give darshan to devotees with offerings of ‘Khaja’, the sweet known to be the favorite of Lord Jagannatha!

For the first time, the day’s events were broadcast live by the Masala Radio and the Sangeet Radio.

What could be more unwinding after a long joyous day than enjoying to the beats of Dandia and singing in praise of Lords? The Sangeet Radio crew provided the right songs and music and brought the people together, which extended till mid-night.

Shri Jagannatha Rath Yatra has been successfully celebrated with cooperation from people of all walks of life in Houston. The festival continued to offer little bit of everything for people of all ages. For the cultural diasporas of Houston, the event is definitely bringing people closer.