Mumbai: Devotees of Lord Jagannatha in Mumbai are organising a grand celebration over the weekend to commemorate the Rath Yatra at Puri in Odisha, which started on June 27.
A Maha Narasingha Yagna will be organised by the Shree Jagannatha Balbhadra Subhadra Charitable Trust on June 28 from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm at Balgandharva Auditorium in Bandra. This will be followed by mahaprasadam, where devotees can taste ritual food prepared by temple-trained Odia cooks.
On June 29, the venue will host the theatrical programme of Bhagwaan Jagannath Kathe. The first part of the play in the morning will be followed by mahaprasadam. The play will continue post-lunch. The evening's events will include an exhibition of snacks prepared by tribal artisans, Hindi bhajans, a question-and-answer session on Jagannatha Culture, and an Odia dinner. The events will be broadcast live on social media.
Organisers said the objective of the festival is to tell the divine story of Lord Jagannatha, which is not well-known. "People do not know why Lord Jagannatha and his trinity do not have hands or feet, or why the Lord is in the graphic human form, and what is the history behind rath yatra," said Dr Manjula Jagatramka, trustee, Shree Jagannatha Balbhadra Subhadra Charitable Trust.
The other objective of the programme is to support tribal artisans who have preserved cultural heritage for thousands of years but are now in a desperate and impoverished state, organisers said, adding that if we do not support our tribal community now, many arts and handicrafts would fade away.
Dhananjay Kapoor, managing trustee of the Shree Jagannatha Balbhadra Subhadra Charitable Trust and founder member of the Bhandira Tree Theatre Group, which is organising the cultural events, said they are building a community of spiritual people who can spread Jagannatha culture across the country and world.
"Because Shree Jagannatha Mandir at Puri is the only temple where a Brahmin sevak serves God alongside a tribal sevak: there is no discrimination in this temple/culture. We want to spread this message and unite our society and country so that we can fight against the forces that are trying to divide us," Kapoor added.
