Iskcon chariots roll out on Sukhoi wheels in Kol
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Kolkata: This Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath rode in on fresh wheels in Kolkata. Last year's chariot ride on the worn-out Boeing Jumbo Jet tyres was particularly bumpy, compounded by the steering mechanism failure that left the chariot stranded on the day of Rath Yatra.
However, with the old tyres replaced by brand new ones from a fighter jet before this year's festival, the deities had a glitch-free journey on Friday.
This is the 54th year that Iskcon has organised the Rath Yatra in Kolkata and the first time that Russian fighter aircraft Sukhoi Su-30MKI tyres have adorned Lord Jagannath's chariot. All three chariots have been in use since the inception of the event over half a century ago.
The steel wheels of Lord Balabhadra's chariot were changed last year, while those of Devi Subhadra have undergone repairs in the past.
Around 2 lakh people thronged the 8-km route, through which the three raths travelled on Friday. Apart from them, around 100 foreigners from Russia, Ukraine, China, Japan, US, Canada, UK, France, and a few other countries participated in the festival in the city. This year, the turnout of foreigners was lower compared to previous years, as many have been unable to travel due to geopolitical tensions that have made air travel between Asia and the West challenging.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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The Rath Yatra started at 1.45 pm from Hungerford Street, where the Iskcon temple is situated. It then turned left on to AJC Bose Road before turning right on to Sarat Bose Road. At the Sarat Bose Road-Hazra crossing, it turned right on to Hazra Road before again turning right on to SP Mukherjee Road. Thereafter, it had a long straight run through Ashutosh Mukherjee Road and then Chowringhee Road past Exide crossing, before it turned left on to Outram Road on reaching the Park Street-JL Nehru Road crossing.
After a brief run on Outram Road, the raths reached their destination at Brigade Parade Ground at 6.45 pm.
At the Brigade ground, the deities have been housed in a pandal resembling Puri's Jagannath temple. Iskcon vice-president Radharamn Das, who is in Digha to participate in the Rath Yatra there, said the pandal on Brigade ground was the Gundicha temple or 'Masir-bari', where the deities would reside till the return journey begins on Ulta Rath on July 5.
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