Ratha Yatra festival ends
The Ratha Yatra, one of the major festivals of the Hindu community, ended Friday as hundreds of devotees pulled of the rope of Ulto Ratha in the capital as well as all over the country.
The festival regarded as the chariot festival of Lord Sri Jagannath Dev which started on 1 July.
Different religious bodies and temple committees organised various programmes marking the Ulto Ratha, the return journey of Lord Sri Jagannath.
Started in the morning, the programmes included Harinam Sangkirtan, Agnihotra Jagna seeking world peace, discussion, eirendering of Padabali Kirtan, cultural show, recitation of verses from the Holy Geeta and distribution of Mohaprosad.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) chalked out a nine-day programme in Dhaka.
The country's largest Ratha Yatra festival was celebrated at Dhamrai in Manikganj district.
A colorful procession was brought out in the capital from Dhakeshwari National Temple carrying images and idols of Sri Jagannath Dev, his brother Sri Balaram and sisterSrimati Subhadra on three largely build Rathas (chariots) in the afternoon.
It ended at ISKCON temple at Swamibagh after parading different city streets.
Before procession, a discussion was arranged on the premises of Dhakeshwari temple.
Food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Bangladesh Awami League's Relief and social welfare secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad president JL Bhowmik, Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee president Manindra Kumar Nath, Dhaka University Jagannath Hall former provost Asim Sarker addressed it among others.
ISKCON Swamibagh Ashram Principal Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari chaired it.
Bijay Bhagbat Swami Maharaj of ISKCON, Sri Dham Mayapur, India inaugurated the procession.
Then the devotees pulled the ropes of the chariots from the preemies of Dhakeshwari temple through Palashi crossing, Jagannath Hall, TSC, Doyel Chattar, High Court intersection, Press Club, Purana Paltan, Dainik Bangla, Motijheel, Ittefaq intersection, Tikatuli and rounded up the Ulto Ratha Yatra on the premises of Swamibagh ISKCON Temple.