The Yatra is organised each year with an aim to give people a sneak peek in to the original Jagannath Rath Yatra that happens every year at Puri in Orissa to infuse spirituality, unity and bhakti. “The Rath Yatra in Puri started about 1,000 years ago is a major experience, which sees an overwhelming crowd from all over the world. However, still many people in the city have not got a chance to experience it. So, this yatra here is an effort to make the main deity, Lord Jagannath’s darshan viable to the city dwellers,” said ISKCON counsellor Guru Upendra Das.

The Yatra started at Shivaji Park in the late afternoon and continued till night passing through areas like Sena Bhavan, Plaza, Hanuman Mandir, Portuguese Church, Gokhale Road, Khed Galli and then back to Shivaji Park. “Our founder Acharya Srila Prabhupada started this yatra way back in 1967 all over the world. So far, we have had such processions in countries like San Francisco, France, UK, Australia and Germany to name a few. We started the same in the city some four years ago. Earlier we have had yatras taking place from Lower Parel, Prabhadevi and Shivaji Park itself,” said Das.

For the devotees thronging from far off places like Dombivili, Kalyan and Palghar this is an opportunity for them to catch a glimpse of their favourite God. “I have never got an opportunity to go to Orissa, so I will in no way give this chance a miss, despite the long hours of commute and the fact that I only have one day weekend I came here,” said 28-year-old, Aadesh Yashwant who came all the way from Palghar. “The sun, pollution and traffic snarls¿ surprisingly nothing is bothering me today. There is a feeling of peace,” he adds, while moving with the crowd chanting ‘Hare Rama, Hare Krishna’.

The sentiment is echoed by 75-year-old Sunderbai Narayan Khare who made it to event despite a bad backache and leg pain. “I really don’t care. I am finally getting to be a part of the Yatra after all these years,” she says with a grin. The yatra does not make any bones about your religion or community and all are free to join. “Even in the Puri’s Yatra, people from all communities can catch a glimpse of the God. Here too we have kept the same spirit and everyone is free to attend,” said Das.

Legend has it that when Lord Krishna left Vrindavan to become the king of Dwarka, many gopis were heart-broken. When they visited Dwarka they saw the Lord in all his opulence and were shy to be anywhere near him. But despite this they took the Lord back with him mentally on a chariot. According to Das the Jagannath Rath Yatra in a way symbolises this legend and perhaps is the inspiration behind the same.

The rath yatra started and ended with the distribution of their famous prasad comprising of simple rice, daal and khichdi. “The prasad is the God’s food given with his blessings to all devotees regardless whether they were a part of the yatra or not,” he said. “For some reason, even this prasad tastes much better here. In fact it is one of the primary focus of the festival,” said Kamala Amma, a resident of Dombivili, another participant.