1000's of Free Indian Street Food Meals Prasadam by Hare Krishna Devotees in Trafalgar Square London

✓ Rathayatra is a very big spiritual and social event in the Hari Krishna calendar........but as a foodie you can guess that we also look forward to the delicious vegetarian feast which is served up every year at the festival.

Just like the Sikhs who serve up Langar (free meals) to anyone and everyone; the Hari Krishna devotees do very much the same at their temples and events such as this and it's known as Prasadam (Prashad) which is santified (blessed) food.

On the day they were serving up Rice with Raisins, Lime Pickle, Mixed Vegetable Paneer curry, Sweet Yoghurt (Shrikand), Semolina Dessert with Ghee & Peanuts and Eggless Cake and it was all Absolutely Delicious.

This years Rathayatra took place on Sunday 18th June 2017 - it's an annual event and we very much look forward to this year's Rathayatra which will be on Sunday 16th June 2019.

Some information about the history and background of Rathayatra.

Rathayatra is a celebration of the love of God. The festival dates back to the Satya Yuga which pre-dates ancient history.

It originates from Jagannatha Puri in Orissa on India’s eastern coast. There the festival lasts a whole week with two processions and lots of smaller events in between.

In the western world, Europe and America the festival is usually a one-day event.

Rathayatra means reclaiming lost souls.

“Ratha-yatra” means “chariot festival”. This celebration has been held every year for hundreds of years at Jagannatha Puri, in Orissa on India’s east coast. There, three huge chariots, carrying the Deity forms of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra, are pulled by hand through the city streets amid loud musical performances.

Millions of pilgrims come to the festival in Orissa. Jagannatha is a special and very merciful form of Krishna.

Ratha-yatra is the biggest street festival sponsored by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness – and ends with a delicious, sanctified vegetarian feast.

It is celebrated by devotees of Lord Krishna all over the world and was introduced to the West by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1967 in San Franscisco.

The Ratha-yatra festivals are held at several different places across the country, the biggest in London. The procession starts from Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner near Marble Arch, goes through Park Lane, Piccadilly and Haymarket and finally arrives at Trafalgar Square, where festivities continue till night. Drama, dance, philosophy and a feast are the highlights.


Ratha Yatra Lecture (San Francisco 1970) by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
“Just try to understand Jagannatha.
Jagat means the moving world, gacchati iti jagat.
The Sanskrit word gacchati means that enery or force which is moving all these planets, the universe and the sun; everything is moving, and we are moving.

Jagat-natha, natha means master and proprietor. Therefore, Jagannatha means the proprietor or the master of all these movements.
And Balabhadra, Balarama—bala means strength and rama means enjoyment.

Balarama means He who gives you spiritual strength for enjoying eternal blissful life.

Subhadra—su means auspicious and bhadra means well-being.

Subhadra, Jagannatha and Balarama combined together are present here to reclaim you all from your miserable condition of life.
That is the purport of this Ratha-yatra festival.

If anyone sees Jagannatha, Subhadra and Baladeva on the cart, then he does not take birth again in this material world. Ratheja vamana? d???a.”
(7/5/70 San Fransisco Rathayatra)

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