TEAM HERALD

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PANJIM: The All Goa Odiya Association will stage a mini version of the world-famous Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra of Puri from Miramar circle to the Panjim Ferry point, to popularize the festival in Goa. 

The Rath Yatra of Shree Jagannathji is celebrated on the second day of shukla pakshya (two days after the full moon) in the month of Ashadh (3rd month in Lunar Calendar). Traditionally, every year the deities --Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath step out of the temple on the day of the Rath Yatra and mingle with the masses breaking all barriers of caste, creed, religion, language, etc. 

In Goa the organisers are organising the festival as “an effort towards cultural blending rather than a mere religious symbolism.” 

“We have taken a step forward to widen the meaning of integration by putting a religious festival in the context of cultural assimilation It is estimated that about 15,000 people from the state of Orissa and the abode of Lord Jagannath have made this state of Goa their home,” Debendra Dalai one of the organisers said. 

“The sanctity of the festival is such that even a touch of the chariot or the ropes with which these are pulled are considered enough to confer the results of several pious deeds or penance for ages,” he said. 

The All Goa Odiya Association said that they would also like to build a temple to Lord Jagannath in Goa sometime in the future. 

“In the modern world no cultural group can exist in isolation. Interaction between cultural groups results in enrichment of interacting units. With this objective in mind, All Goa Orissa Association sprouted in 1997 in Goa. The member of AGOA aspire to build a temple of Lord Jagannath in Goa with the cooperation from prominent and benevolent people of Goa, this dream can be a reality soon,” he added. 

The press conference was also addressed by Subhash Naik a trustee of AGOA, and Badri Narayanan of ISKON.