Bonafide Urban Chick

Everyone knows that Ahmedabad is a city of culture and faith. A land of Lord Krishna Devotees, Ahmedabad sees one of its biggest festivals in honor of his naughty, innocent and wise God, Krishna.

The Jagannath Rath Yatra will take place this year on the 10^th of July. The festival basically comprises of a big rath (chariot) with an idol of Lord Krishna, of when he was a baby. The emphasis is on the fact that this rath yatra (procession) is specifically of Lord Krishna in this roop (form). The Lord doesn’t have feet. This goes to show that he is forever with his believers and is never going to leave them and go away. The idol doesn’t even have hands. This is to depict that the Lord is but a guide, He will not physically do anything. He will simply explain the route to his devotees, and they have to travel the path on their own.

The Rath yatra is often over a kilometer long, followed by kilometers of devotees chanting behind it. The yatra starts from Jamalpur are, passes by from crowded areas like Kalupur, Dariapur, Shahpur, Dilhi Darwarza and finally ends at Wadgam, which is an are beyond Saraspur. The Ahmedabad police and administration take active steps to ensure cleanliness, peace and utmost security at the time of the yatra, before it and after it.

If you are in the city at this time, no matter which faith you belong to, this is a phenomenon of faith and devotion that one simply must witness.