FESTIVAL OF CHARIOTS ATTRACTS THOUSANDS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Festival of Chariots attracts thousands

Thousands of men, women and children joined in to heave three huge chariots through the city streets yesterday as Lord Krishna was displayed to his devotees.

The 16th annual Rathayatra Festival of Chariots, staged by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, saw the parade draw in about 10,000 people from all over the country.

Some had travelled from afar afield as India, and dropped to their knees as the effigies of Lord Jagannath (Krishna), his sister Subadhra and older brother Balaram, were slowly pulled past.

The worshipers were in Leicester today to witness the celebration of the 5,000-year-old festival, which included singing and music and culminated in a large feast at Cossington Park.

Devotee Madhava Das, 29, who lives in the city, became a monk eight years ago.

Since then he has lived a disciplined lifestyle, visiting other parts of the country to share his beliefs.

He said: “This is the one time of year when those who maybe don’t go to the temple can see the deities, which come out once a year.

“It’s so people can see them - and by pulling at the ropes of the chariot it signifies that they are pulling the Lord into their hearts and lives. The music is essential too.

“We chant a mantra to glorify God and to celebrate life and spirituality.”

The three giant chariots, measuring up to 30ft tall, were taken from the Clock Tower, along Belgrave Gate, over the flyover and finished in Cossington Park, where a feast was waiting.

Live music, dancing and singing - which took place on a large stage - was also on the bill at the post-parade festival.

Ben Dowdeswell, 33, and Lee West, also 33, from the Derek Frearson Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu group, who meet at the Peepul Centre, in Orchardson Avenue, entertained the masses with a Chinese lion dance.

Ben, from Barwell, said: “This, for me, sums up the great diversity of Leicester - a bunch of white guys dancing around in a Chinese lion costume at a Hare Krishna festival.

“I think it’s great, it’s our third year and they keep calling us and getting us back - so we must be doing something right.”

Two weeks ago more than one million people gathered in India for the largest staging of this worldwide festival.

Ezrsebet Varga, 46, who had travelled from London to take part in today’s event, said: “This festival has been celebrated for thousands of years, and people come from all over the country.

“In India it’s huge. More than one million people went recently.”

In 2010, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) were left with no place of worship after an explosion destroyed the temple in North Evington.

Now, the group members are hoping to set up a restaurant, heritage room and an informal library at the former HSBC bank, in Granby Street, Leicester.

A planning application for the former bank has been submitted to Leicester City Council.

YOUNGSTERS STEP OUT TO HELP CENTRE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Dhamesvari Kathrani and Dhani Gajjar, both six

Youngsters step out to help centre

Youngsters dressed as Hindu gods walked, skipped and scooted around the city's Town Hall Square on Saturday.

The money from their sponsored walk will help pay for the renovation of the former HSBC Bank in Granby Street, bought by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) group.

The children made their way around the block 11 times, in a symbolic gesture of circling a place of pilgrimage.

The route began at the building's Granby Street entrance, up Bishop Street, by Town Hall Square, down Horsefair Street, and back to the entrance on Granby Street.

Temple President Pradyumna Das said: "It's lovely to see children and their parents come together to make their own valuable contribution to this very important project.

"The centre will not only help educate them, but is a great facility for their future. The site is perfect as a community hub."

The money raised will help transform the grade II*-listed heritage property, considered a jewel of Victorian architecture.

TIRATH YATRA WALK, STAGE 3: ISKCON CENTRE

Stage three of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: ISKCON Centre, Granby Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

The ISKCON Centre is housed in one of the most admired and respected building in the city centre, which was previously in use as an HSBC bank, then sat empty and unused for a few years. The local ISKCON community bought the building as a new home after its former temple was destroyed in a gas explosion (in which no one was hurt). There are ambitious plans for this place and when they are accomplished, it will be a marvellous place to see. It wasn't on the Holi Yatra Walk last year.

While the building is still undergoing renovation, and has not yet been fully kitted out as intended, it is in active use already for devotional purposes. I have only been inside the building once, during the Rathayatra festival last year. I don't get in today, as by the time I've snapped half a dozen photos from across the street, our group is on the move again! Next stop is another building with a distinguished past, dedicated to a new and unexpected use, which wasn't on the programme in 2012.

PLANS FOR BANK INCLUDE HARE KRISHNA TEMPLE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Plans for bank include Hare Krishna temple

Hare Krishna devotees have submitted plans to transform a landmark building into a place of worship.

Members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) are hoping to set up a restaurant, heritage room and an informal library at the former HSBC bank, in Granby Street, Leicester.

The group was left without a place of worship when an explosion tore through its temple in North Evington two years ago.

A planning application for the former bank has been submitted to Leicester City Council.

ISKCON president Pradyumna Dasa said: "We want a spiritual place and to make it available to the public.

"We want to include things such as yoga, meditation and elements of worshipping Krishna.

"Most people don't know the building was by architect Joseph Goddard, who also designed the Clock Tower.

"We want to build a heritage room, telling the story of Goddard."Mr Dasa said a restaurant would serve "wholesome vegetarian cuisine in support of health and wellbeing".

There would also be a library.

"There are 165 language spoken in the city and we want books and literature dedicated to all of them," Mr Dasa said.

"It would be like a very informal library where people could come and read in peace."

He said the temple would also be usable as a venue by community groups and for meetings and banquets.

An official opening date has not yet been set.

"We'll have the odd function here and there as we phase in the work, but we're still going through various planning stages so we can't get an exact opening date until that's done," Mr Dasa said.

He said he could not say how much the project would cost.

Members of the group have been worshipping in rented spaces since the explosion.

They said they were looking forward to moving into the 1870s-built, grade II-listed property.

The building has stood empty since HSBC left in 2008 and was recently added to English Heritage's list of significant buildings at risk of falling into disrepair.

Stuart Bailey, chairman of the Leicester Civic society, said it was "great news" to see the building being made use of.

He said: "This is the building which allegedly made Sir John Betjeman say 'wow', so it's one of our jewels and needs to be treated as such."