Siliguri, 27th June: The 36th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was celebrated with great devotion and grandeur at the ISKCON temple in Siliguri on Friday. Lord Jagannath, along with his brother Balram and sister Subhadra, set out on a city tour in a beautifully decorated chariot.
Thousands of devotees gathered at the temple premises from early morning to take part in the celebration and pull the rope of the chariot. The Rath Yatra was inaugurated by Siliguri Mayor Gautam Deb, who lit a ceremonial lamp and swept the path in front of the chariot as part of the traditional ritual. Deputy Mayor Ranjan Sarkar, social worker Shri Ratan Vihani, Deepak Agarwal, Dr. GB Das, Kamlesh Agarwal, Anil Agarwal, Pawan Agarwal, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The chariot procession passed through major city routes including Sevoke Road, Venus More, Hospital More, Haren Mukherjee Road, and Najrul Sarani before returning to the ISKCON temple. Alongside the religious festivities, ISKCON organised several awareness campaigns promoting messages such as “plant trees, save lives,” “safe drive, safe life,” and “create a drug-free society.”
ISKCON Siliguri’s Public Relations Officer Namkrishna Das expressed gratitude to the police, media, and the public for their support in making the event successful. He also informed that the return procession, ‘Ulta Rath Yatra,’ will be held on 5th July, starting from ISKCON More and concluding at the temple.