Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: At a time when the people in Odisha were dipped in religious festivities, non-resident Odia communities were also not far behind in celebrating the Rath Yatra festival in several parts of the globe. Thousands of devotees attended the Jagannath Rath Yatra that celebrates Shree Jagannath, an avatar of Lord Krishna, in Fremont, California. The 25th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath at Fremont Hindu temple took place on Saturday July 14 as thousands of devotees flocked to the East Bay city to catch a glimpse of the deities.
The event was put together by the Odia community in Bay area. The idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were placed on a beautifully decorated chariot. Since it was the 25th anniversary, special havan and dance performances were arranged.
Revered as ‘The Lord of the World’, Lord Jagannath is worshiped as an abstract form of Lord Krishna and the chariot festival in Puri has been celebrated for several centuries. Devotees believe that a person who pulls the chariot of Lord Jagannath attains spiritual abode after death and the Lord personally comes to take his soul to the spiritual world. Thousands of devotees attended Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath at Fremont Hindu temple.
