The Chariot Festival (Shree Jagannath Rath Yatra – 2013)
HOUSTON: Orissa Culture Center (OCC) and Shri Sitaram Foundation cordially invite the people of Houston and surrounding cities to the sixth chariot festival of Houston. For the last six years the festival has been providing a ground for spreading the message of peace and universal brotherhood among the people of Houston. The venue for this year’s festival is 11715 Bellfort Village Drive, Houston, TX, 77031 and the date for the celebration is set for Sunday, July 14.
The day’s events are planned to include aspects relating to Shree Jagannatha and Vedic Philosophy. The event will start with a “Maha Yagna” or the fire worship in the morning followed by different rituals of the three deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhdra.
Anup Jalota
The major attractions of the festival are planned for the late afternoon hours and include the chariot pulling by thousands of devotees, devotional kirtans and bhajans, Kids activities and maha arati. The admission and parking are free. This year OCC is proud to present a live vocal devotional concert by world renowned vocalist/ Bhajan Samrat Shri Anup Jalota.
OCC is a fast growing non-profit institution with a dedicated mission to promote the cultural heritage and traditional art forms from India in general and state of Orissa, India in particular. The Rath Yatra will host a colorfully decorated 22-foot high chariot carefully crafted by dedicated members of Orissa community. All devotees will be allowed to offer worship to the Lord on the chariot.
Celebration of this festival is possible by generous support of participating organizations and individuals. The event is partially funded by a grant from Houston City Arts Alliance. We cordially invite everyone from Houston and neighboring cities to participate in this year’s chariot festival and experience the oneness that binds all humanity.
For information, please visit www.houstonrathyatra.org or call 832-225-2376 or e-mail at rathyatra.hou@gmail.com. You may connect on https://www.facebook.com/HoustonRathYatra