Rourkela: Odias living in the Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated Rath Yatra in Kinshasa with religious fervour and devotion on Thursday, recreating the rituals of Puri’s annual chariot festival thousands of kilometres away from Odisha.More than 100 members of Odia Samaj, Kinshasa, participated in the celebrations, which began in the morning with Rath puja and Suryanarayan puja, followed by a havan. Later, the idols of the Chaturdha Murti were taken to the chariot in a traditional pahandi procession. In a special highlight of the event, women devotees carried Devi Subhadra during the pahandi.The ceremonial chhera pahanra was performed by Kamlesh Shukla, president of the Hindu community in Congo, before devotees pulled the chariot within the premises of the Hindu temple in Kinshasa. Members of various Hindu communities, including local Iskcon devotees, joined the procession amid devotional songs and chanting.Traditional Odia delicacies including ‘poda pitha’ were served as prasad during the festival. Devotees were also given coconuts to offer at the chariot. The celebrations concluded with bhajans and distribution of mahaprasad among more than 600 devotees.“We celebrated Rath Yatra in the traditional manner followed in Puri. We will also celebrate Bahuda Yatra on July 24,” said Sashikanta Sahu of Odia Samaj, Kinshasa.
