First Manado Jagannatha Ratha-yatra, Indonesia (Album of photos)
Thousands of residents crowded the Megamas area of Manado City, North Sulawesi watching the Manado Fiesta 2019. Along the way, the Manado Fiesta route took place lively. Thousands of people poured out to watch the Fisco program. The road that became the route was crowded by people who wanted to see various regional groups from around Indonesia performed their cultures which took part in this year’s Manado Fiesta.
It was observed from the West Java, Tana Toraja, Makassar that even Papuan residents and students were also involved in the parade. Minahasa traditional dances and others who also took part. the most merciful Lord Jagannath also took part on His chariot pulled by devotees in the euphoria of the Fiesta.
“Make the Ratha-yatra festival very great success. This will be a great introduction in your city and people will appreciate it” SPL to Syamasundara, 4th May 1967
Manado is the capital city of North Sulawesi province, and become an interesting city to visit for its tourism destination, while the location itself is located at the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous area.
“It doesn’t matter if you can or cannot establish a temple there, but if you can introduce the Ratha-yatra festival, surely it will be a great success. So try to execute this will as far as possible" (SPL to Yamuna, 27th May 1969)
There one family lives in Manado, Amala Krishna das and his wife Vidyut Prabha dd and their daughter. Amala Krishna prabhu disciple of H.H. Bhaktisvarupa Damoda swami works in an electrical company. He always eager to preach. He usually transfers from one region to another region and he always makes friends with local and made them devotees. This time he works in Manado and by the mecy of lord Jagannath he could communicate with the committee of the annual Manado fiesta to participate on it.
“For the present, you endeavor to make Ratha-yatra festival grand and successful. You should arrange the procession and procedure so nicely that all the neighborhood people may be attracted to join the procession.” (SPL to Upendra, 1st June, 1968)
Getting an invitation from the committee a month before the fiesta, Amala Prabhu call the Ratha yatra Nusantara team to help him if ratha yatra could be done in Manado because of limited human resources there. The Ratha yatra Nusantara team always eager to do Ratha yatra in a new place in Indonesia. The team started making analysis about what should be prepared and how to prepare. The first thing and the most important was the chariot. The team called devotees from Gorontalo who already has chariot. The distance between Gorontalo and Manado is about 400,3 km or 9 hours 28 minutes.
The team then inform the event in the WA groups of the devotees and asked for help whatever they could help. Many devotees donated money and others donated paraphernalia of the chariot. On the Ratha yatra Bali, where all devotees from the round of Indonesia gathered, devotees collected donation on the spot.
A week before the fiesta, the chariot arrived in Manado. The chariot team, Raghava Prabhu and Adideva Prabhu prepared the chariot. Two days before the fiesta devotees from Kendari arrived and helped the preparation of the festival. Amala Krishna’s Prabhu house become preaching center and basecamp to prepare the Ratha yatra. Devotees from Bali also arrived to support the preparation. On the day of the Ratha Yatra, devotees started the day by Mangala arati, Japa and Bhagavatam class. The at 07.00 Am, a homa jagna performed, after the homa devotees prepared the Ratha yatra. At 09.00 Am, arati was offered to the Lord and then coconuts were offered to invoke auspiciousness. Devotees started pulled the Lord to the Taman Berkat where other participants already standby. On the way to the start point, devotees sang Mahamantra Hare Krishna. In every Ratha yatra, Lord always gives a small test to devotees. This time Lord Jagannath give trouble to the generator of the sound system. Before the Ratha yatra started, the generator worked fine, but when the devotees started pulled the chariot it suddenly off. It made worry the devotees. One of the participants never gave up to repaired the generator and after some time it worked normally. Almost there was no rainfall in Manado. Those days when the Lord arrived a dark cloud hanging in the sky and when the Lord pulled on the road a heavy rainfall, this was the Lord’s mercy in purifying the place.
Arriving on the start point, devotees did bhajan and others did book distribution. Mani visitors eagerly came close just to felt their curiosity of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. At 16.00 the parade was started. One by one participant performed their culture in front of the honor stage. The devotees also with all the enthusiasm, sang and danced in front of Lord Jagannath chariot. When they enter in front of the stage the joyful increase and fired up kirtan follow the chariot. A flowers garland that already offered to the Lord was given to the mayor as an honor. The kirtan continued until the finished point and they waited for the bus to bring them back to the basecamp. Some of them returned with the generator car and helped the mechanic to pick and returned., meanwhile the other returned with Lord Jagannath deities to the basecamp. Arrived in the basecamp they honored Lord Jagannath mahapersad. This was an unforgettable moment of Manado Ratha yatra were all devotees were joyful.
“I thank you all very much for making the Ratha-yatra festival so successful. Please convey my gratitude to all the boys and girls who participated in this great transcendental service”. SPL to Upendra, 4th July, 1968.
We would like to take this opportunity to offer our ever grateful obeisances to HH Kavichandra Swami and HH Ramai Swami, the GBCs of Indonesia, for their kind support and encouragement in accessing new avenues for sankirtan and to His Holiness Subhag Swami, whose guidance as a spiritual mentor has inspired us and given us the required force for arranging more and more Lord Jagannath Rath yatras throughout Indonesia.
Jai Jagannath ! Jai Baladev ! Jai Subhadra !!!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada !!!
Hare Krishna
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