Devotees In US Celebrated Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra Festival On Florida Beach | WATCH

New Delhi: Devotees of Lord Jagannath are spread across the world, and no matter which part of the world they are base in, they make it a point to seek their lord’s blessing during the annual Rath Yatra. If they are unable to reach Odisha’s Puri, where the Lord Jagannath temple is situated, devotees organise mini Rath Yatras, also known as the Festival of Chariots, where ever they are situated. This year, devotees took out Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra at Florida beach in the United States to celebrate the festival with pomp and joy, and the video of the event has taken internet by storm.

In the video, devotees of different ethnicities in US were seen pulling the ‘Rath’ on the seashore, singing and dancing to hymns praising Lord Krishna. As per the location stamp on the video, it was shot in Tampa, Florida. Since being shared, the video has garnered more than 1,000 likes and has been viewed over 5,500 times.

Watch the video below:

The famous Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is believed to be the oldest and largest chariot procession in the world. The 9-day festival is observed every year as per the Hindu calendar. This year, the festival commenced on July 1 and will end on July 12. At Puri, the Rath Yatra started this year after a hiatus of two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rath Yatra marks the nine-day sojourn of Lord Jagannath and his siblings at the Gundichha Temple. Every year, on three chariots, Lord Jagannath, and his siblings Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra are taken for their 9-day stay at Gundichha Temple. Lakhs of devotees pull these chariots as the deities. The festival lasts for a good 12 days.