Bhubaneswar: Rath Yatra was celebrated at Almere city of Netherlands amid pomp and grandeur with participation of a large number of Odia devotees.
Since the Rath Yatra was organised for the first time in the European nation, hundreds of Odia and non-Odia devotees along with their family members and relatives took part with enthusiasm and excitement.
Organised by Odia Socio Cultural Association, Netherlands (OSCAN), the day started with a special worship of the deities at Audrey Hepburnstraat. Then the deities were brought to the ceremony site at D Ruimte Auditorium which was elegantly decked up for the occasion.
The idols were taken in a procession to the colourfully decorated chariot stationed inside the auditorium. The entire atmosphere got reverberated with the recitals of hymns, slogans like Haribol and Jai Jagannath, blowing of conches and playing of musical instruments by the devotees.
The pulling of chariot commenced at around 12.30 pm. The chariot was pulled till 1 km in the periphery and then pulled back to the auditorium. Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in a majestic pose aboard the chariot during their sojourn on the street of Netherlands presented a mesmerising sight.
Deputy Chief of Mission of Indian High Commission based at The Hague Gince Mattam inaugurated the cultural programmes organised on the occasion. The programmes included recital of bhajans and Odia songs, presentation of Odissi and Bharatnatyam dance and playing of musical instruments by children.
The special attraction of the show was a play “God of Devotee: Dasia Bauri” at the auditorium. Paintings and traditional dress competitions were other highlights of the celebration.
The guests and attendees were served with delicious Odia foods including Ghee Anna, Dalma, Besara, Khata, Saga, Rasagola, Tanka Torani and Chudaghasa prepared by Charcoal caterings at the end of the programme.
The Rath Yatra was conducted with the guidance and advice of Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb. OSCAN team including its president Saswat Padhi and senior members played key role in organising the festival. AAONXT, Nobel Mortgages, Geeksoft Consulting, Prilk Consulting, Etia Consulting and Innoveren IT extended logistic support.
