London’s Harrow East witnessed the arrival of Lord Jagannath in his colourful chariot as thousands of devotees thronged to pay obeisance. The gathering include Uma Kumaran, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Harrow East.
The Rath Yatra festival saw three chariots pulled along by hundreds of devotees from Queensbury Park through to Stanmore Temple. On arrival there was a special prayer service followed by food served for all those who took part. This is the first time this festival, organised by Dharma Bhakti Manor Stanmore and ISKON has been celebrated on the streets of Harrow.
Uma Kumaran said: “It was an immense honour to have been part of this procession and to have been invited to pull and guide the chariot through the streets of Harrow for the first time. As a Hindu it meant a great deal to me to be able to celebrate this festival with hundreds of other worshippers.
“What was especially meaningful was seeing residents of all races and religions stop to take photos, join in and cheer the procession along. It was a treat to tell people that this festival is the reason behind the English word ‘Juggernaut’ – meaning unstoppable force, which is what Lord Jagannath represents.
The young leader thanked the Temple volunteers, police and local authority staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this occasion run smoothly and with minimal disruption to others. Harrow is home to people from all races, religions and backgrounds.