Latest news with #InternationalSocietyforKrishnaConsciousness
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
ISKCON Nagpur to host Jagannath Rath Yatra on June 28
1 2 Nagpur: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Nagpur to host Jagannath Rath Yatra on June 28 starting at 12 noon from Poddareshwar Ram Mandir (Mayo Hospital Square). The procession will pass through key locations, concluding at the ISKCON Temple. A preparatory meeting for the yatra was held at ISKCON Nagpur. The meeting discussed event layout, service distribution, city route planning, promotion, and security arrangements. Senior devotees, including Brajenra Tanay Prabhu and Venu Gopal Prabhu, were present. ISKCON Nagpur invites all devotees and the general public to participate in the Rath Yatra and seek blessings from Lord Jagannath. The event aims to provide a divine opportunity for devotees to participate and experience the spiritual significance of the Rath Yatra. Detailed preparations are underway to ensure a memorable and special event.
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India.com
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- India.com
From Runways To Rath Yatra: This Is How Sukhoi Fighter Jet Tyres To Support Lord Jagannaths Chariot
In a harmonious fusion of tradition and contemporary technology, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Kolkata has installed tyres utilized in Sukhoi 4th generation fighter aircraft onto Lord Jagannath's chariot for the Rath Yatra of this year. The festival, one of the city's most eagerly awaited spiritual celebrations, will be held on June 27. This is a major upgrade following 48 years of utilising Boeing aircraft tyres for the chariot. ISKCON authorities state that the old Boeing tyres had created technical problems, and efforts to find appropriate substitutes over the past two decades were underway. "We were facing issues with the old tyres and tried for years to find an alternative. Since Dunlop, the manufacturer of the original Boeing tyres, shut operations long ago, we explored other options," said ISKCON Kolkata Vice President Radharaman Das in an interview. "After extensive research, we discovered that tyres used in Sukhoi fighter jets matched the diameter and load specifications required for the chariot. We reached out to MRF, the manufacturer of Sukhoi tyres, and their team inspected our chariot in December 2023," he mentioned. After the evaluation, the tyres were installed on the main wooden chariot, which completed a successful trial run of 20 kilometres in Kolkata on May 31. Das assured that structural changes were incorporated to fit the new tyres. All four of the Sukhoi tyres are capable of carrying a maximum load of 16 tonnes, facilitating the safe transport of the chariot during the Rath Yatra and Ultorath, which is scheduled on July 5. The chariots of the deities accompanying Lord Jagannath will still run on conventional iron wheels. "This is possibly a first-of-its-kind move in the country, if not Asia. We initially fitted Boeing tyres back in 1977, and to our knowledge, such a practice of using aircraft or fighter jet tyres in religious processions is unprecedented," Das said. The new tyres are likely to provide a smoother and safer ride for Lord Jagannath down the roads of Kolkata, as thousands of believers line up to watch the religious procession.
Hindustan Times
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Sukhoi fighter jet tyres fitted on Lord Jagannath's chariot for ISKCON Kolkata Rath Yatra
Kolkata, Forty-eight years after trundling on tyres used for Boeing aircraft, the chariot used during ISKCON's Rath Yatra in Kolkata has got new tyres that are used for Sukhoi 4th generation fighter jets. The chariot, with the new set of tyres, will carry Lord Jagannath on this year's Rath Yatra which will be held on June 27. The ageing and worn-out old tyres have been replaced by the new tyres used for Sukhoi 4th generation fighter jets, according to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness . Vice President of ISKCON Kolkata Radharaman Das told PTI on Monday that for the last 48 years, tyres used for Boeing aircraft were used to pull the chariot of Lord Jagannath, but for the last 20 years they have been trying to get a replacement as technical issues cropped up with the four old tyres over time. "We were looking for replacements but the maker of Boeing tyres, Dunlop had stopped operations years back. After thorough research, Sukhoi's tyres closely matched our specifications as those have the same diameter size tyres used in Boeing," he said. "We then contacted MRF which makes tyres for the Sukhoi fighter jets. The company's experts came to Kolkata in December last year and inspected our chariot that carries the idol of Lord Jagannath on Rath yatra. After the tyres were fitted, the chariot had a test run for over 20 km in the city on May 31," he said. Some structural adjustments had to be made in the wooden chariot to fit in the Sukhoi tyres, Das said. "So by the grace of Lord Jagannath his chariot got brand new tyres and we are confident of a smooth journey of the Lord on the day of auspicious Rath Yatra on June 27 and Ultorath-The return car festival on July 5," he added. Each of the four tyres can withstand a load of 16 tonnes. The chariots of other deities will have iron wheels as usual. Asked if using fighter aircraft tyres for pulling the chariot of the Lord is unique and unprecedented, Das said, "We had fitted Boeing tyres with the main chariot in 1977 for the Lord's journey on the roads of Kolkata. We have no information about such practices followed elsewhere in the country or Asia."
New Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
ISKCON will get reply from Srimandir priests on Rath Yatra, says Gajapati
BHUBANESWAR/PURI : Amidst International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) holding untimely Rath Yatras in different parts of the world, Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb on Monday said the priests of Shree Jagannath Temple will send a reply to ISKCON to reach a consensus on holding the festival as per the shrine's schedule. Addressing mediapersons, the Gajapati said the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had taken up the issue with governing body commission of ISKCON at West Bengal's Mayapur in December last year and priests of both the Srimandir and ISKCON had met again in March this year. During the March meeting, Srimandir priests had provided them details of all the scriptures and the well-established traditions which mandate that Rath Yatra should be celebrated on the 'tithi' that Srimandir follows. 'However, ISKCON priests had some more doubts which our priests in Srimandir have agreed to clarify through a letter. This letter will be submitted to the ISKCON governing body commission soon. Hopefully, they will agree to follow the Srimandir tradition for Rath Yatra,' the Puri king said. He added that in case ISKCON does not agree, the Srimandir administration will check if any legal help can be taken on the issue. ISKCON holds Rath Yatra as per the Srimandir schedule in all its temples within the country but when it comes to its temples in other countries, there is no fixed schedule. 'We are happy that hundreds of new Jagannath temples have come up in many foreign countries, and many more are in the line but they should follow the traditions and rituals as per the prescribed norms practised in the Srimandir,' he added.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
From radio waves to temple domes: The unexpected journey of a Krishna couple in Utah
SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — Charu Das was in Los Angeles in 1980 when a for-sale ad for a small radio station in rural Utah County — about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City — caught his eye. Das and his wife, Vaibhavi Devi, have been longtime members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) also known as the Hare Krishna movement, a Hindu sect that worships Krishna as the supreme being. At $225,000, ownership of the radio station plus the parcel of land around it, seemed like a bargain to Das, whose dream at the time was to broadcast Krishna radio. The Spanish Fork property in Utah County was not far from the state's largest freshwater lake, tucked away amid rolling hills with the snow-capped Wasatch mountain range providing a majestic backdrop. Most county residents were — and still are — members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon Church. 'We came here not knowing what Krishna had in store for us,' Das said. Today, the little radio station is just a dot on their lush 15-acre (6-hectare) campus. At the property's center sits the Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple, a 10,000-square-foot (930-square-meter) house of worship. Its architecture is unique to temples in northern India with ornate facades, domes, a large covered pavilion, overhanging windows and archways. Llamas and cows graze on the property's pastures. Peacocks crow as they strut around, suddenly fanning out their iridescent blue and green plumage. A lake provides water to cultivate flowers for worship and organic vegetables and fruits, much of which are used for a donation-based vegetarian buffet open to visitors. 'This place is like Vrindavan in Mormon country,' Das said, evoking the historical city in northern India, where Hindus believe Krishna spent much of his childhood. The city has thousands of temples dedicated to the worship of Krishna and his chief consort Radha — also one of the main deities at the temple in Spanish Fork. Das and his wife said they hadn't planned to build a temple. Initially, they added a log house where they held Sunday services and began breeding and selling llamas to support themselves. In the early 1990s, Vaibhavi Devi floated the idea of adding a temple, and they eventually built two: one on their property and the other in Salt Lake City. They were completed thanks in part to support and seed money from devotees, the local Hindu community and Latter-day Saints. The radio station took a backseat amid construction and management of two temples, he said. Devi, an artist, supervised the project, channeling her creativity throughout the process, her husband said. She hired an aerospace professional to design the smaller temple domes, and an Idaho company that fashioned potato storage structures to build the large, main temple dome. She also spent six months on scaffolding decorating the vaulted ceiling inside the main sanctuary, painting dancing demigods, lotus flower motifs and masterfully crafting foam to look like marble. The temple now conducts school tours as one way to support itself; about 4,000 students from area schools visit the temple each year, Das said. Monica Ringger Bambrough, a volunteer interfaith liaison for the Latter-day Saints church in the region, helps coordinate days of service for youth groups at the Krishna temple. 'Our kids don't get to see how others live out their faith,' she said, adding that the only two non-Mormon houses of worship in town are the Krishna temple and the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall across the street. The Krishna temple's biggest annual event is the Hindu Festival of Colors marking the start of spring, which draws thousands to Spanish Fork. It features color throws, mantra music, devotional dances and yoga. Das often takes the stage as master of ceremonies and 'senior rapper.' He's been writing rap songs, including one that captures a profound verse in the Gita about devotion and spirituality. 'The Bhagavad Gita is 700 verses divided into 18 chapters, which takes about 45 minutes to read,' he said. 'But I have a three-minute rap version for you.' Connecting with an audience through modern music has inspired him to spend more time in the radio station, which originally brought him to Utah. He's experimenting with AI-generated music, including a country-western jingle advertising their vegetarian buffet. 'This is it,' Das said. 'This is how we're connecting with people. This is what Krishna brought us here for.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
