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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."