By: ISKCON-London Communications
Devotees from ISKCON-London along with HH Mahavishnu Swami are leading a five-day Padayatra which started on Monday 17th July, walking 40 miles from Canterbury to Folkestone, following on from the success of last year’s Padayatra which was in honour of ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary.
The group of devotees are leading a lively and uplifting procession of music, food, philosophy, dance and a ‘temple on wheels’ through the Kent countryside, concluding next to the Harbour Fountains in Folkestone on the afternoon of 21st July.
Spectators have the opportunity to witness traditional Indian carts pulled by oxen and bullocks, hear the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, and learn more about cow protection and the movement’s philosophy of ‘high thinking and simple living.’
The walk began from Canterbury Cathedral – the mother of all pilgrimage sites in the UK. The devotees were blessed by the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral for a safe journey, providing an auspicious start to the festival of peace. The opening ceremony was also attended by Cathedral officials, local dignitaries, members of the Canterbury interfaith group, as well as members of the local Hare Krishna community, each representing different facets of Canterbury’s diverse spiritual landscape.
Temple President of the ISKCON centre in London, Jai Nitai dasa, shares: “The news of the recent atrocities happening across the country have shaken our world. The Padayatra is a way for us all to come together and show that we stand united against hate, and offer prayers for those who have lost their lives.”
Through the walk, the devotees will remind people who see them walking that in these seemingly fearful days of war, suicide bombings, climate change, social tensions and economic uncertainty, a simple self-sufficient life in harmony with Mother Nature and God’s will is always available as an alternative.
Watch the coverage by ITV News Meridian: http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2017-07-18/tourists-see-unique-gathering-outside-canterbury-cathedral/
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Tourists see unique gathering outside Canterbury Cathedral, UK (2 min video)
Canterbury has seen hundreds of thousands of pilgrims over the centuries.
Ever since Henry II’s soldiers murdered Beckett in the Cathedral, they have paid their respects, and sought redemption for their sins.
But there has never been a gathering quite like the one that tourists and visitors witnessed this week.
For the very first time, Hare Krishna monks have assembled outside the cathedral gates.
Their mission? To let the crowds watching them know, that regardless of the terror attacks that have beset the country this summer, there is more that unites us, than divides us.
Tom Savvides reports.
Interviewees: Mantra Chaitanya Das, Hare Krishna Canterbury; and Very Rev Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/eHS8za