HARE KRISHNA FESTIVAL OF CHARIOTS IS HIGHLIGHT OF OLDEST STREET FESTIVAL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Hare Krishna festival of chariots is highlight of oldest street festival

Thousands of devotees pulled a huge chariot through the city yesterday to celebrate the world's oldest street festival.

Dancers, drummers and flag wavers led the Hare Krishna Festival of Chariots from Cossington Street, in Belgrave, to a huge party at Leicester's Town Hall Square.

The 15th annual Ratha-yatra festival was staged by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Devotees, who usually start in Humberstone Gate and finish in Belgrave, were forced to reverse their procession, due to waterlogged ground at Cossington Street Park.

Pradyumna Dasa, president of the group's new temple in Granby Street, Leicester, said: "Though it was never our plan to move the festival, it seems to us that Krishna's plan is to go towards his new home in the centre of the city."

For the Jethwa family from Syston, it was a perfect opportunity to celebrate their Hindu faith together.

Dad Jit, 41, said: "It is important that our children learn about our festivals.

"We are all born and bred in Leicester, a multi-cultural city that allows us to celebrate our culture and beliefs. It's fantastic."

Daughter Devi, eight, said: "My favourite part is the singing and the food."

Sister Bhavani, 11, said: "We have had a really nice day. I like watching it all pass us."

The procession featured a 40-foot chariot, which carried representations of Lord Jagannatha (Krishna) and his siblings, Lady Subhadra and Lord Balarama.

Work colleagues Siva Narayanasamy, 27, and Vimal Srinivasan, 30, watched the procession gather in Gallowtree Gate.

Siva, who lives in the city, said: "I'm really impressed by the size of the chariot. It's like being in India."

Vimal, also from the city, said: "It really gives you a divine feeling when we share our religion across the city. It sends such a good message."

For Lalita Dasi, from Groby, it was also a chance to catch up with friends and family.

The 53-year-old said: "You end up bumping into people you haven't seen since last year."

The procession ended with a party at the town hall, with dance and yoga displays, singing and vegetarian food.

The photo above shows the Chariot on Belgrave Gate, heading into the city centre, with the lifesize statue in the foreground. Photo by Kiran Parmar, sourced with permission.

HOLI YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 2: ISKCON TEMPLE

Second stage on the Holi Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. The goal is to visit 15 Hindu places of worship in Leicester on foot today. Two down ...

Holi (Hindi: होली) is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus, also known as the Festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal and in countries with large populations from India or of Indian descent who follow Hinduism.

Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. (Thanks to Wikipedia for these definitions.)

On the way from Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal on Narborough Road (the first stage and starting point of the walk) to the Jain Centre on Oxford Street, we briefly stop off at what appears to be a disused shop in the West End. Although the place is locked this morning, we're told that the effigy of Lord Jagannath is inside, making this one of the smallest Hindu places of worship in Leicester. This effigy is one of three deities (along with that of Lord Baladeva and their sister Subhadra Devi) which are pulled along in chariots during the Rath Yatra celebration (or Festival of Chariots) which is observed annually in Leicester. The photo above (by Kiran Parmar, by permission) shows the three chariots arriving in Cossington Park during Leicester's celebration of Rath Yatra, 2009. The chariot bearing Lord Jagannath is the one in the front, with the red canopy.

Since the building is unattended today (and at many other times) I've decided (in the interests of security) not to state its location or take a photo of it - although there's nothing about it from the outside that would suggest there's anything special inside.

HOLI YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 1: SHREE JALARAM PRARTHANA MANDAL

First stage on the Holi Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal, Narborough Road. The goal is to visit 15 Hindu temples (mandirs) in Leicester on foot today.

Holi (Hindi: होली) is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus, also known as the Festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal and in countries with large populations from India or of Indian descent who follow Hinduism.

Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. (Thanks to Wikipedia for these definitions.)

Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal was the first purpose-built Hindu mandir in Europe. It was dedicated to public worship in 1995. Last year, a plaque was unveiled here celebrating the work of those members of the community who worked from as early as 1979 to raise more than £1,000,000 and establish this place of worship. His Excellency the Counsel General of India, Gururaj Rao, was the special guest at the unveiling of the plaque. This was reported in the Leicester Mercury (and covered in this blog, Tuesday 8 November 2011).

I lived in the West End of Leicester from 2006 till 2010 and my GP's surgery was opposite the entrance to the temple on Westcotes Drive (as seen in the photo above). So I saw quite a bit of this temple from the outside in those days. The only other time I've been inside was on one of the Peace Visits organised by Leicester Council of Faiths, in September 2009. The picture below taken on that date (not by me) is of a painting on the ceiling of the temple's worship hall. It contains images of prophets, teachers, messengers and founders of world religions, including Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus and Guru Nanak.

The most striking external features of this place of worship are the large white turbans, facing on to Westcotes Drive (seen in the photo at the top of this entry) and Narborough Road, as seen in the photo below (by Ned Trifle, reproduced with permission).

When the group sets off, around 0930, there are around 50 of us. Next stop: ISKCON Temple in the West End.

I leave some fliers and A4 posters for the upcoming REDP event Choice Unlimited here (after asking permission, of course). I also leave information about the Council of Faiths next open meeting, a panel presentation entitled "God in my faith" coming up during the week.