Boston: Odisha natives in Massachusetts recently hosted the third annual Rath Yatra, Bahuda Yatra, Suna Besha and Niladri Bije ceremonies of Lord Jagannath and siblings with much pomp and fanfare.
The mega celebration was organised by Odia community based in New England, USA, in association with New England Shirdi Sai Parivaar (NESSP). The New England’s Siridi Sai Temple is at Shirdi Way in Groton of Greater Boston and the sibling deities are currently stationed there. Apart from local residents of Massachusetts, around 800 Odias and non–Odia devotees along with their friends, family members and relatives from nearby Rhodes Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine also took part in the festival.
While rituals like Bigraha Puja of all four deities and yagna for Rath Yatra were performed in accordance with vedic norms, the four idols were taken in a grand procession to the decked-up 20 ft hight chariot, beautifully decorated with Pipli appliqué work and flowers, where devotees conducted the traditional sweeping of chariot, Chherra Pahanra. The entire atmosphere reverberated with bhajan and kirtan, chanting of hymns and Hari Bol and Jai Jagannath along with beating of ghanta, kartala, cymbals, jhanja and mrudanga and recitals of Odissi with the pulling of the chariot, which was taken around Sai Temple for around 2 km and then into the shrine premises.
The Lords were then escorted back to the gem-studded altar by the servitors and adorned in golden attire for Suna Besha as is the ritual at the main Jagannath Temple in Puri. Following this, arati was performed at the sanctum sanctorum.
The highlight of this year’s festival was the offering of 56 varieties of food items (Chhappan Bhog) specially prepared on the pattern of Anand Bazaar at Puri.
The cultural progromme saw Odissi and Jagannath bhanjan performances.
New York: The recent indictment of top executives of Adani Group, including its chairperson Gautam…
Bhubaneswar: The result of the Odisha Teacher's Eligibility Test (OTET)-2024 was announced on Friday. The…
Bhubaneswar: An attempt for an amicable settlement of the dispute, involving Ollywood director Bobby Islam…
Bhubaneswar: Dense fog occurred at one or two places in Sundargarh and shallow to moderate…
Mumbai: The Mumbai Police crime branch revealed that an accused in the Baba Siddiqui murder…
Bhubaneswar: Kashika Misra has created history by becoming the first Odia girl to win any…
Moscow: President Vladimir Putin has warned the countries that allow Ukraine to use their weapons…
Bhubaneswar: After a five-month-long investigation, Jharsuguda police in Odisha busted an inter-state cybercrime racket and…