Rathayatra in Leicester this Sunday, with special Pandava Vijaya ceremony
When: Sunday 2nd August 2015
Where: 31 Granby Street, outside new temple, to Cossington Park, Belgrave
Time: Pandava Vijaya ceremony begins at 9.30am on Granby Street, Leicester City Centre, Procession starts 11.30am.
Arrives Cossington Park 2.30pm for free festival
The Leicester Rathayatra Festival of Chariots takes place this Sunday 2nd August 2015, for the second largest festival in the UK.
The festival will begin outside the newly acquired temple at 31 Granby St. The Deities will mount the chariot in a tumultuous Pandava Vijaya ceremony, only ever seen in Jagannath Puri at 9.30am!
The 90ft chariot carrying the magnificent Deities of Lord Jagannatha, Subhadra, and Lord Balarama from the City Centre to Cossington Park, accompanied with kirtan and dance.
The lively procession will pass through the streets of Leicester from the City Centre, Belgrave Gate, and into Belgrave to Cossington Park.
At Cossington Park, revellers will be entertained by dance, live music, drama, and exhibitions. The multi-cultural festival promises fun for all the family, with face painting, dance, mantra meditation, and a free vegetarian meal.
“Rathayatra is the largest and most important festival hosted by the Leicester chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and the second largest such festival in Europe,” says President of ISKCON Leicester, Pradyumna Das.
“Apart from the original Rathayatra festival in Jagannath Puri, Leicester is perhaps the only City in the world where the Rathayatra festival starts directly outside the temple.”
www.iskconleicester.org