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chant and be happy

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare




 

New York Ratha Yatra Parade

Ratha Yatra Parade starts at 11:00 am



The 3 Large Carts will proceed from SE corner of Central Park 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, across the street from the Plaza Hotel and adjacent to Grand Army Plaza.

All devotees are requested to be present at the start of the Parade by 10:00am to greet Lord Jagannath, Lady Subhadra & Lord Baladeva as they arrive from the Temple, with ecstatic kirtana and dancing.

The Parade will continue down Fifth Ave. for about 50 blocks culminating at the Festival of India in Washington Square Park.   Approximate arrival time is 2:00pm.  If you cannot walk the entire route of the parade, it is suggested that you meet the parade at 2pm, when it would pass 14th street & 5th Avenue, and help pull the chariots the final few blocks to the festival site.

Devotees are invited to bring their own instruments (mrdangas, djimbe drums, kartals, flutes, etc.) to assist in the various kirtan parties throughout the parade.

We request all the devotees to refrain from political and or non-Vaishnava propaganda during the parade and festival. This Ratha-Yatra festival is about glorifying Lord Jagannath, and not about mundane things.  Festival management reserves the right to detain or remove any such persons who they deem to be creating a negative or antagonitic atomsphere during the parade and festival.

Only authorized persons will be allowed to ascend the carts to perform pujari service to Lord Jagannath, Subhadra & Baladeva. The pujaris have been assigned their duties already and will be wearing special passes. Any and all unauthorized persons will be asked to leave the carts.  Police officers will be standing by to assist in removal if the need arises.

Please be respectful of the Parade Marshals and Police Officers assigned to march with the parade. They are doing their duty to keep all the devotees safe and sound.  If they give you any instructions, please comply with them.

If you have a food offering for Lord Jagannath, please make sure that it reaches the carts before 11:00am. Because of safety & security concerns, the pujaris are not allowed to accept anything once the carts begin their journey.  If you like, you can offer your items to the Lord at the Festival of India. 

Festival of India

The festival of India will commence @ 12:00pm

If you arrive early to the Festival Site, please try to assist the devotees there in organizing and setting up the festival area.

Once the carts arrive, there will be many opportunities to render devotional service to Lord Jagannath. Although the festival is a time for the devotees to associate with each other, it is also a great time to serve each other, by helping in the free feast booth, or book distribution tables, and cleaning up at the end of the festival.



Directions

To: Ratha-Yatra Parade
(59th Street & 5th Ave.)
     - N, R Trains to 5th Ave.
     - 4, 5, 6 Trains to 59th Street  (walk
       west to 5th Ave.)
     - E, F Trains to 5th Ave. / 53rd Street
       (walk north to 59th St.)
     - PATH Train  to 33rd Street then N, R Trains to 5th Ave.


To: Festival of India @ Washington Sq. Park
     - A, C, E trains to West 4th Street (walk east to park)
     - B, D, F, V  trains to West 4th Street (walk east to park)
     - 6 Train to Astor Place (walk west to 5th Ave)
     - N, R Trains to 8th Street (walk east to 5th Ave)
     - PATH Train to 8th Street (from New Jersey)
       (walk east to 5th Ave, then south to park)

For Long Island Residents:
Take the LIRR to Penn Station (A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, 9 Trains), and then use the subway directions above to the various destinations above.

For Metro-North users:
Take the trains to Grand Central Terminal (4, 5, 6, 7 & S Trains) and then use the subway directions above to the various destinations above.

For NJ Transit users:
Either take the buses to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City (A, C, E, N, Q, W, R, 1,2,3,7,9 Trains) or to the Hoboken or Journal Sq. Jersey City Train Stations in New Jersey for the PATH trains into New York City, and then use the subway directions above to the various destinations above.

We recommend that you use public transportation as much as possible to attend the parade & festival, as street parking will be a nightmare. In the event that you need to drive to any of the venues, please contact the ISKCON Temple, and they will give you driving directions.  There are parking garages in the vicinity of Washington Square Park, which charge a nominal fee (from $20 - $25 for the day) for your vehicle.