Hare Krishna presents Ratha Yatra from July 10 – 13

The Ratha Yatra Festival is set to return to Georgetown once again, celebrating its 20th anniversary in Guyana with four days of vibrant festivities from July 10 through July 13.
This milestone not only reflects the growth of the festival locally but also places Guyana among the many countries that now participate in this ancient tradition, which has taken root globally through the influence of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
Originally held in Puri, in the state of Orissa, India, Ratha Yatra is one of the most significant festivals in the Vaishnava tradition, dedicated to Lord Jagannath – an incarnation of Krishna – along with His brother Baladeva and sister Subhadra.
During this annual celebration in Puri, the deities are ceremoniously brought out of the Jagannath Temple and placed on massive chariots which are then pulled through the streets by millions of devotees.
Since 1967, the festival has been transplanted to cities like London, Paris, and New York through the efforts of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, who spread Krishna consciousness across six continents. Guyana is no exception, and for two decades now, the local ISKCON community has upheld this sacred tradition with deep enthusiasm and meticulous planning.
This year’s Georgetown celebration will be hosted by the ISKCON temple located at Lot 1, University of Guyana Road, East Coast Demerara.
The opening ceremony begins on Thursday, July 10, with a three-hour Kirtan Festival at 6:00 pm. This immersive spiritual concert will feature ecstatic chanting of devotional melodies – an essential aspect of bhakti yoga that elevates consciousness and fills the atmosphere with transcendental sound vibrations.
On Friday, July 11, the first Ratha Yatra parade will begin at 3:00 pm from Delhi and Dennis Streets in Bel Air and conclude at the temple, where a cultural programme will follow from 6:00 pm.
Saturday, July 12, will see the second parade beginning at 2:00 pm from the Better Hope Community Centre and ending once again at the temple, with another evening of cultural presentations starting at 6:00 pm.
The grand finale on Sunday, July 13, will celebrate not only the closing of the Ratha Yatra but also the 9th anniversary of the Hare Krishna Temple itself.
The final event will begin at 3:00 pm and will feature expressions of heartfelt gratitude, reflections on the years of community service, and offerings of spiritual inspiration.
Speaking about the significance of the occasion, the event organisers shared that this year’s Ratha Yatra will include not only kirtan and cultural programmes but also drama performances, spiritual discourses, and interactive displays – all crafted to deepen one’s spiritual experience and connection to the divine.
The event will be graced by His Holiness Guru Prasad Swami, the Governing Body Commissioner for ISKCON Guyana, whose presence is expected to bring added spiritual depth to the occasion.
Everyone, regardless of background or belief, is warmly invited to attend, enjoy the wholesome entertainment, experience the joy of sacred music and community, and take a step toward spiritual elevation.

Ratha Yatra tradition
Two powerful and deeply symbolic stories lie at the heart of the Ratha Yatra tradition. One tells of King Indradyumna, a devout follower of Lord Krishna, who received a divine instruction to carve a deity from a sacred log that would appear on the shore. The king eventually found a mysterious Brahmin carpenter who agreed to craft the deity but only under the condition that he not be disturbed. The king, driven by worry, eventually opened the door before the work was completed and found the deity half-finished – the limbs were short, the eyes were wide, and the carpenter had disappeared. This strange figure was none other than Vishvakarma, the celestial architect. Overwhelmed with remorse, the king’s grief was alleviated only when the great sage Narada Muni explained that this unique form was an authorised and legitimate manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead – Lord Krishna – as well as His siblings Balarama and Subhadra.
A second tale speaks of Lord Krishna listening in on the gopis, His most devoted followers, as they lovingly discussed their memories of Him. Subhadra was assigned to keep watch, but she too became enchanted by their stories. As Krishna and Balarama joined her in secret, their bodies underwent a transformation – arms retracted, eyes widened, hair stood on end – as they entered a state of spiritual ecstasy. This moment of divine emotion is believed to have inspired the now-familiar forms of the Jagannath deities.
A third, more philosophical story behind Ratha Yatra centres on the emotional longing of the residents of Vrindavana. During Krishna’s adult life, He visited Kurukshetra for a solar eclipse and was reunited with friends and family from His childhood village. They pleaded with Him to return to Vrindavana.
The Ratha Yatra festival, therefore, represents this emotional yearning and the spiritual act of bringing the Lord back into one’s heart and home. The chariot parade symbolises this journey, and by participating – whether pulling the ropes, dancing along the route, or chanting the sacred names – devotees express their deep desire for union with the Divine.
The spiritual significance of the festival is immense. Scriptures such as the Bhavisya Purana extol the Ratha Yatra for its ability to purify the soul. It is said that merely touching the ropes of Lord Jagannath’s chariot or glimpsing His form on the chariot is equivalent to performing thousands of years of spiritual austerity.
The wooden forms of Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra are not considered symbolic or decorative – they are sacred, living incarnations of the Divine, manifested in material form to allow devotees to interact directly with the Lord. Participants often report feeling a deep sense of peace, joy, and transcendence as they join in the kirtan, dance through the streets, and become immersed in the sacred energy of the festival.
The streets of Georgetown will ring with the sounds of double-headed drums, brass hand-cymbals, and the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Devotees dressed in white and saffron robes will sing and dance with abandon, pulling elaborately decorated chariots and inviting all to share in their joy.
The 20th anniversary of Ratha Yatra in Guyana promises to be more than just a religious observance – it will be a celebration of culture, community, and the universal pursuit of divine love.