Tirupati, July 11, 2013: The flower-bedecked chariot with the deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra rolled out of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha campus here on Wednesday as part of the ‘Jagannath Ratha Yatra’ which was conducted with pomp and splendour.

A large crowd comprising adults as well as children pulled the chariot chanting the Lord’s name.

The holy discus ‘Sudarshana Chakra’, the weapon of Lord Vishnu was also taken along with the idols.

The procession was organised by the members of the Tirupati unit of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) to coincide with the annual Jagannath Ratha Yatra held at Puri, Odisha. The procession began from Sri Jagannatha Yoga Mandiram on the varsity campus this afternoon. It meandered through the major centres of the city before culminating at the University premises.

About 56 varieties of offerings were made on the occasion and a special ‘Maha prasadam’ was distributed to people along the path of the yatra. The students of Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (RSV) performed the religious rites and the event was convened by Sri Adibhagavan Krishnadas alias M Adikesavula Naidu.

The Vidyapeetha’s Registrar KRS Menon, Academic Dean RK Thakur, University Engineer Bharani Kumar, Assistant Controller of Exams RG Tripathy, staff and students attended the yatra. ‘Annadanam’ was performed at the end of the event.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 11, 2013.