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Time of India
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Diaspora celebrates Niladri Bije in Japan, Canada, Aus
1 2 Bhubaneswar/Rourkela: As the sibling deities returned to the Puri Jagannath Temple on the occasion of Niladri Bije on Tuesday, Odias abroad also celebrated the ritual to mark the end of Rath Yatra. At Kawasaki in Japan, members of NPO-Odisha Community Japan enacted the 'Laxmi-Narayan kali' or the scene when an upset Maa Laxmi blocks the way of Lord Jagannath for not taking her on the yatra. Maa Laxmi was played by Pratima Behera, president, NPO-OCJ, Swadhi Kumar Behera performed the character of Lord Jagannath, while the script was readied by Arun Rayguru and Sarmistha Sarangi was the storyteller. "We have been doing Laxmi-Narayan kali since the last five years as it is an integral part of Rath Yatra," said Pratima. The divine fight ends with Lord Jagannath trying to console his wife with rasagola. A similar scene was enacted at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Etobicoke, Toronto, Canada. Niladri Bije was also celebrated with devotion at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre (HTCC) in Canberra, Australia. The evening began with a 'sankalpa puja', followed by collective chanting of 'Hanuman Chalisa' 11 times, an 'aarati' and 'rasagola bhoga', symbolising the reconciliation between Lord Jagannath and Maa Laxmi. The sibling deities were then reinstalled on a jewelled throne, concluding their annual sojourn. Rath Yatra attracted over 1,500 devotees in Canberra, who pulled the decorated chariot around the temple, sang bhajans, danced and shared 'prasad'. B ahuda Yatra was celebrated on Saturday, featuring a performance by a bhajan singer from Punjab. On Sunday, the Suna Besha ritual was performed along with a 'satsang'. Tarun Agasti, founding member of Shree Jagannath Consciousness ANZ, told TOI, "With Mahaprabhu's grace, we have celebrated Rath Yatra in Canberra for 15 years. This year was special as Rath Yatra was held for the first time in Sydney and for the second year in Melbourne and Auckland. It is heartening to see Mahaprabhu's devotion grow across Australia and New Zealand."
Time of India
11-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Digha temple naming upsets Odias living abroad
1 2 3 Bhubaneswar: Naming of the newly consecrated Digha temple in West Bengal as 'Jagannath Dham' has come in for strong criticism from Odias living abroad ."When the temple was inaugurated in Digha we were very happy. But when we came to know that it is being called a dham, we were very unhappy," said Tarun Agasti, vice-president of Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre, Canberra, Australia. "Such a nomenclature will be very misleading for the next generation. Devotees should be shown the right path," he issue found its echo among other Jagannath devotees who feel there can only be the four dhams — Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. "Since childhood we have known about four dhams in Hinduism. Operation Sindoor 'Our job is to hit target, not to count body bags': Air Marshal Bharti on Op Sindoor Precautionary blackout imposed across parts of Rajasthan, Punjab 'Indian Navy was in position to strike Karachi': Vice Admiral on Operation Sindoor Renaming the Digha temple as Jagannath Dham is unjustified," said Choudhury Rudra Charan Mohanty from Nagoya, Japan, who was instrumental in organising Rath Yatra for the first time in Kasugai City under Aichi him, Odias living abroad come together for Rath Yatra and other festivals associated with Lord Jagannath. They feel that Jagannath temples can be built across the world but there can be only one 'Jagannath Dham'. "Dham is permanent. There cannot be another Jagannath Dham other than Puri," said Jayashree Nanda from Amersham, Odias are surprised the issue was not dealt with earlier. "The naming is completely wrong. We are surprised that it was not detected early," said Manoj Nayak, president, ORIOZ, who resides in Sunday, a few Odias living in Sydney, Australia, came together to stage a protest at Boxhill. They were led by Sujeet Jena, former president of ORIOZ. Recently, Jagannath devotees from across the world also met over a virtual platform to discuss the issue in the presence of Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Naming of the newly consecrated Digha temple in West Bengal as 'Jagannath Dham' has come in for strong criticism from Odias living abroad."When the temple was inaugurated in Digha we were very happy. But when we came to know that it is being called a dham, we were very unhappy," said Tarun Agasti, vice-president of Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre, Canberra, Australia. "Such a nomenclature will be very misleading for the next generation. Devotees should be shown the right path," he issue found its echo among other Jagannath devotees who feel there can only be the four dhams — Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. "Since childhood we have known about four dhams in Hinduism. Renaming the Digha temple as Jagannath Dham is unjustified," said Choudhury Rudra Charan Mohanty from Nagoya, Japan, who was instrumental in organising Rath Yatra for the first time in Kasugai City under Aichi him, Odias living abroad come together for Rath Yatra and other festivals associated with Lord Jagannath. They feel that Jagannath temples can be built across the world but there can be only one 'Jagannath Dham'. "Dham is permanent. There cannot be another Jagannath Dham other than Puri," said Jayashree Nanda from Amersham, Odias are surprised the issue was not dealt with earlier. "The naming is completely wrong. We are surprised that it was not detected early," said Manoj Nayak, president, ORIOZ, who resides in Sunday, a few Odias living in Sydney, Australia, came together to stage a protest at Boxhill. They were led by Sujeet Jena, former president of ORIOZ. Recently, Jagannath devotees from across the world also met over a virtual platform to discuss the issue in the presence of Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
