The famous festival of Odisha – the Jagannath Dev Rath Yatra – is no longer limited to Puri or various parts of India, but the religious fervor has reached abroad as well.
Like the past 10 years, Odia community in Japan celebrated Rath Yatra in capital city Tokyo.
The NPO Odisha Community in Japan (OCJ) took out a 3-meter tall chariot with beautifully decked up idols of Lord Jagannath,his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra on the main street. The procession was participated by thousands of devotees chanting praises of the Lord.
This is the 11th consecutive year the OCJ is celebrating the festival and the members strictly follow the rituals that are maintained at Puri Jagannath temple.
The Tokyo Rath Yatra was attended by Deputy Chief of Mission, Indian Embassy to Japan, Raj Kumar Srivastava and Kawasaki City Vice Mayor Kato Junichi, among other dignitaries.
Appreciating OCJ’s efforts to promote Odisha culture in Japan, state chief minister Naveen Patnaik and tourism minister Ashok Panda sent their greetings to the members.