Ratha Jatra At Nashville

Ratha Jatra At Nashville

Ratha Jatra or Yatra (the Chariot festival) is a symbol of equality and integration. The three deities, Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra are worshipped within the Puri temple throughout the year. But once a year, on this sacred day, they take a chariot journey to the Gundicha temple through the streets of Puri so that everyone can have the good fortune to see them. Attending the Ratha Jatra at Puri is at the top of every Hindu devotee's wish list and the festival attracts more than one million pilgrims every year, not only from India but also from the different parts of the world.

The Jagannath Society of the Americas (JSA) in collaboration of the Ganesha temple, Nashville is bringing the Ratha Jatra to our town for all devotees. On 24th  June (Saturday) Afternoon (3:00 PM onwards), please join us to celebrate this auspicious festival at the Shri Ganesha temple (527 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209). The festivities will continue in the evening hours in the form of Bhajan & Aarati of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra & Lord Subhadra and Cultural Program, that includes a speech by Keynote Speaker and Odissi Dance performance by PadmaShree Smt. Aruna Mohanty (is an Odissi Dancer, Choreographer & Guru & current Secretary of Odisha Dance Academy) and her troupe of (Shibani Patnaik & Pratap Kumar Bariki) followed by dinner for all at the temple auditorium.

We will be celebrating the Return Chariot festival(Bahuda Jatra) on the following weekend  (Pooja and Bhajan starts at 9:30 AM and Bahuda Jatra on 2nd July, Sunday starts at 10:30 AM). 

The detailed schedule of programs for both weekends (Ratha and Bahuda Jatra) is attached in PDF format.

Nashville-RathaJatra-Bahuda-program-2023

 

We have invited several accomplished artists and scholars from India for this occasion and we don't want them to perform to a half-filled auditorium! I request you to take some time from your busy week and kindly spread the word around among your co-workers and friends so that we can have a good number of audience during these events. Let's show to others that we, Nashville residents are enthusiastic devotees as well as connoisseurs of fine art and culture!

 

Thank you all for your support and efforts. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions.

 

Regards,

Suman Das

President

Jagannath Society of the Americas (JSA)

240-205-3596