Ratha Yatra Today in Washington DC

Ratha Yatra Today in Washington DC
By Sri Trikalajna dasa

July 4, 2001, Washington, DC: It is with great pleasure that we are once again hosting the annual Ratha Yatra of Their Lordships Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra. The Ratha yatra starts at 11 AM and will be part of the National Parade. ISKCON will also be holding the Festival of India parade. This year the location is the prestigious Eclipse park across the White House, adjacent to the Washington Monument.

The festival officially begins at noon and as part of this we will be distributing more than 10, 000 plates of free prasadam. In addition we have also invited many talented performers for Bharat Natyam and Odissi dances. There will be a drama by the youth group and ecstatic bajans and kirtans. We will also be putting up stalls for tasty vegetarian dishes, display of Vedic literature and question-answer booth.

Participating in pulling the Ratha Yatra cart

Pulling the cart is one of the most auspicious forms of devotional services. We can accommodate up to 150 people to participate in pulling of the cart or to perform in the bhajan party ahead of the cart. Since we are also judged based on the presentation which determines our eligibility to perform in the next years parade, it is important that we give our best performance.

Devotees who are interested in participating in this must be nicely dressed in devotional or traditional Indian attire. There will be no exceptions to this. Considering the heat and other safety requirements, no children or strollers will be allowed. Please meet at the festival site at 9AM to practice the steps and be allotted a position in the procession.

Volunteers

This festival will *not* be possible without the help of volunteers. The festival begins at noon and will end with the fireworks at 9:30 pm. Help is needed in cooking prasadam, making garlands, setting up the tents, distributing prasadam, keeping the grounds clean, dealing with the crowds and most importantly cleaning the area after the festival is over. Not keeping the grounds clean or leaving behind litter can easily cause us to loose our rights to participate in future festivals. Various activities in preparation for the festival have already begun and will be going on through the weekend. We humbly request you all to take some time out and sign up for some service in accordance to your ability. There is no one more pleasing to Their Lordships than one who renders some service to Them.

Please contact Caitanya-Nitai dasa (301-765-8948) or Trikala prabhu (301-299-7205) to sign up for service. If you are not able to talk to them then please leave a message with your name, phone, service and time you can give service. They will be preparing the volunteer sheets and will make sure that all service are covered.

The Festival of India is held country wide by ISKCON. Please visit the web site http://www.festivalofindia.com for details.

Darshna of Thier Lordships

Their Lorships Jagganatha, Baladeva and Subhdara will be arriving to the ISKCON Potomac temple Sunday evening and devotees can have their first darshans there. After the Ratha Yatra They will be giving darshan at the Festival of India site where devotees can render some personal service to Them.

Other news: New ISKCON temple in Spanish Fork, Utah

A beautiful new Radha Krishna ISKCON temple was opened on June 13th in Spanish Fork, Utah for the glory and pleasure of Srila Prabhupada.

All in attendance were very inspired to see Utahans of all different ages congregate in the thousands to see the temple that the press all over the state has been profiling for months. Built from the ground up this new house for Radha Krishna, Sita Rama Laxman Hanuman and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai is the fulfillment of the dream of Caru dasa and Vaibhavi dasi both wonderful disciples of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

Among many dignitaries speaking at the function, Senator Oren Hatch from Utah was most notable. He is probably the highest ranking US Government official to attend the opening of an ISKCON temple in America. Everyone showered tribute to the beauty of the edifice and a repeated theme was the pride of Utahans everywhere to have this temple as a neighbor in their Valley. As a practical show of their support members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (popularly known as the Mormons) had donated $25, 000 towards the construction of the temple and personally volunteered to help in building the temple.

There was wide and positive media coverage on all TV stations and in every major and local paper.

----- Festivals over the next week ------ *** Note all times are for Washington D. C, USA, EST *** Jul 01 2001, Sunday Ekadasi Sayana (Break fast 04:47-06:58) (Fast) Jul 05 2001, Thursday Disappearance Srila Sanatana Gosvami Guru (Vyasa) Purnima Temple details:

Web Address : http://www.iskcondc.org Email : mail@iskcondc.org

Mailing Address: ISKCON, 10310 Oaklyn Drive, Potomac, MD - 20854. Tel: (301) 299 2100 Temple (301) 765 8948 Congregation Services

President: Sri Trikalajna dasa Phone:(301) 299 7205, Fax:(301) 299 5025

We have 7 aratis (deity worship) a day (4:30AM, 7:15AM, 8:15AM, 12:30PM, 4:15PM, 7:00PM [Sunday 6:30PM], 8:45PM) and a daily class in the temple at 8:00AM. You are welcome 7 days a week, the temple is open from 4:30AM until 9:00PM. Breakfast is at 8:45AM and lunch prasadam at 1:00PM. All are welcome (FREE)

We have a special program every Sunday evening beginning 5:30PM. This includes a Bhagavad Gita class, kirtan (devotional songs), arati, and a sumptuous vegetarian feast. If you would like to sponsor the feast or receive further information please call Caitanya-Nitai Dasa at 301-765-8948 or send us an Email.

We also offer a variety of pujas, samskaras, grain ceremonies, mundans etc. and have qualified priests to perform them. For details please call Sri Navin Krishna Dasa on 301-299-7205 or send us an Email.

Remember to visit Govindas, our gift shop, located right behind the temple, for all your devotional needs, reading material, music CDs, tapes and deity paraphernalia. The shop is open every Sunday from 5PM to 9PM, and any other time on request.

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