Rathayatra 2013 - The Chariot Festival of Lord Krishna

Every year in mid-summer, Lord Jagannath, with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra goes on vacation, travelling in grand chariots, from his temple in Puri, to his garden palace in the countryside.

We now celebrate one of the biggest religious Hindu festivals - the Rath Yatra or the Chariot Festival. This is also the etymological origin of the English word 'Juggernaut'.

A chariot is brought to the Piazza and a marquee is erected. The marquee houses images of all of the religious deities, as well as cultural activities such as henna face paintings including the bindi. Food is also distributed free to over 1,000 people.

There is a staged programme in the marquee from 9am-12pm to include chanting, singing, dancing and drama; this is a cultural performance, not a contemporary one such as Bollywood-style dance.

Betweem 12pm-3pm, there is a procession with the chariot which returns to the Piazza prior to the event closing at approximately 4pm.

This event is supported by Plymouth University. All welcome.