USA
August 24, 2002 VNN7517
Hilo Ratha-Yatra 2002
BY VIDAGDHA MADHAVA DAS
 HAWAII, Aug 24 (VNN) — A Growing Community of Devotees Celebrates Hilo Ratha-yatra 2002
On Saturday morning, August 3rd, a brilliant rainbow, stretching from Hilo Bay to Mauna Kea appeared over Hilo, Hawaii. This was certainly an auspicious sign on the day of the first full-on Ratha-yatra of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama and Lady Subhadra through the streets of Hilo town.
A diverse group of devotees on the Big Island have participated in an annual parade here over the past 5 years, called The Festival of the Pacific, including some Bengali devotees from the Temple of the Golden Volcano. The local people have enthusiastically received the devotees, clapping and smiling, and the parade judges awarded us a prize two years ago as a marching unit. Our participation developed to the point where we entered the parade last year with a Rath Cart 12 feet long and 15 feet high designed by Vidagdha Madhava das which was mounted on a 26 foot boat trailer and constructed by Parvat Muni das. Srimate Sevanandi dd made a stunningly beautiful canopy and awnings for this cart on Maui last year.
The kirtan in front of the cart last year with Jagadish das, Radhanath das, and Vasudev das sharing the lead, was so irresistible, that some local people along the parade route, who are generally conservative in their behavior, told us they literally had to hold themselves back from joining us.
This year Vidagdha Madhava das, Bhima das and Kamala Kanta das worked hard to make last year's cart into a strong, safe and beautiful cart for their Lordships and the devotees, complete with wagon wheels,to be pulled with 25 foot long ropes along the parade route.
Jagadatri dd organized and coordinated the event as she has in past years, looking after all the details of registering, collecting donations for the cart, and reserving a new Community Center for a program after the parade. The cart was constructed this year in her front yard.
As the festival day approached, devotees began arriving from the other islands at Jagadatri dd's house. A very special guest, His Holinesss Bhakti Ballava Tirtha Maharaja, the Acharya of the Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, the largest Gaudiya Mission in India, also arrived on the Island for this event, as a guest at the house of Mangala dd in Hilo and later at the Temple of the Golden Volcano in Honokaa.
Srimate Pancali dd decorated the cart beautifully and added a large cloth Jagannath face from Puri on the front and the cart was effulgent as it was pulled through the streets of Hilo with their Lordships and Srila Prabhupada blessing the crowds. A picture of Jayananda Prabhu was also placed on the cart in front of Prabhupada's murti below the deities.
His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Maharaja(79 years old) offered obeisances to their Lordships in the middle of the street and then led an amazing 45 minute kirtan, barefoot in front of the cart. At one point, Maharaja began jumping up in the air as the devotees around him also jumped in ecstasy. The parade spectators were stunned as this incredible display of Bhakti swept past them and the parade judges awarded us another prize for our participation.
Afterwards, a wonderful feast, organized by Srimate Stritama dd was savored by devotees and guests at the Community Center. Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Maharaja's devotees then led some very powerful chanting which culminated in Bhuta Bhavana Prabhu charming everyone in sweet waves of chanting and dancing, as our guests danced with us. Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Maharaja then arrived and gave us some Hari Katha and his holy association.
Our Hilo festival is dedicated to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, who has delivered Ratha-yatra all over the western world. Devotees from many 'camps' came together to chant, dance, feast and hear Hari Katha in a wonderful display of Vaisnava unity.
We offer our Dandavat Pranams to Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Maharaja, and to all the devotees who took part in Lord Jagannatha's Ratha-yatra.
With the arrival in the last year of Babhru Prabu and Satyaki dd, Yadhunandana Prabhu and Priya dd and Gopavrndapal Prabhu and Mula Prakrti dd, our community on the Big Island growing into a very nice sanga. The Big Island not only offers a mild tropical climate and lots of agricultural possibilities, but it is great place for writing and beating the 'brhad mrdanga' (publishing). And now Hilo is on the Ratha-yatra map. Jaya Jagannath!
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