The procession assembles just inside Hyde Park -500 yards west of Hyde Park Corner.
Festival Features:
All comers are welcome to Rathayatra and we hope that everyone enjoys a taste of the spiritual bliss that is available in this wonderful festival.
London Festival
Please try and get to the start of the procession before the Deities of Sri Jagannatha, Srimate Subhadra, and Sri Balarama arrive.
The Deities are the centre piece of the event and by making sure you are there to welcome Them when They arrive in Their limousines, accompanied by Srila Prabhupada and Their pujaris, you will surely please Their merciful Lordships.
The Deities come out of the temple to freely distribute Their loving glances to anyone and everyone. Wherever the Lord appears He is accompanied by His beloved devotees and friends. If you are also there then you will surely benefit.
Thank you very much - Hare Krishna!
Hyde Park Corner
From any of the main London railway stations - come on the Piccadilly Line and get off at Hyde Park Corner. When you come out of the tube station head for the south-east corner of the Park. The Rathayatra assembles near there so look out for the tall brightly coloured canopies of the Rath Carts.
National Rail Enquiries - for rail information.
Parking on Sunday is OK on single yellow lines in Westminster or you can stay safe with the NCP car parks. There is one just north of Trafalgar Square. Please remember there is no parking at the assembly point in Hyde Park nor any at Trafalgar Square.
The AA - main routes and parking information.
The procession assembles just inside Hyde Park -500 yards west of Hyde Park Corner.
You will clearly spot the three colourful carts as you approach. There are three or four kirtan (singing and instrument) sections, each with dancers.
You can pull the ropes on the cart (which bestows liberation) but please follow the instructions of stewards and staff.
The cart leaves Hyde Park promptly at mid-day and arrives at Trafalgar Square around 2.30pm.
This can feel like a long journey on a hot day and a OAP van is provided at the rear of the procession for the infirm.
Bring a bottle of water to refresh yourself along the way.
London Rathayatra and the rest of the UK Rathayatras are all run by volunteers. On the London team there are around 250 volunteers involved each year.
There are always new opportunities to join in and you will be most welcome if you decide to offer a little or a lot of your time.
If you are interested in any of the services below please contact us for more information.
Festival Site Site set-up and set-down | Site Clean-up Crew (pre & post event) | Electrician | On-Site Security Guards | Sound Engineer | Stage Assistants | Stage Decoraters | Drivers | Flower Arrangers | Childrens Area Helpers | Carpentry | and Maintenance Support
On the Day Cart Decorations | Official Stewards | Book Distributors | Prasada Distributors
Feast Preparation Cooks | Assistant Cooks | Kitchen Assistants | Pot Washers | Prasada Servers
Pre Festival Fundraisers | Publicity and Advertising | Event Planning
Interested in any of the above? Please contact us for an informal chat to see which service suits you best.
Many people like to support this great effort by offering a gift to the Festival.
If you prefer not to give out personal details on the internet you can send a cheque (check) made out to ISKCON to this address:
Titiksu das
Rathayatra Annadan Appeal
ISKCON
FREEPOST ANG9258
Rickmansworth, WD3 3WD
To show our appreciation - for donations of £51 or more we will send you a specially crafted, limited edition Jagannatha gift, CD or DVD.
Please tell us if there's a special name you'd like honoured on the London Temple Annadan Display Board.
ISKCON UK Ltd is a Registered Charity No. 259649.
Having problems with this page or making a donation? Please email: titiksu@pamho.net or telephone 01923 229656. Thank you for helping. Hare Krishna! Jaya Jagannatha! London is one of the main capital cities in the world and there are many hotels, bed and breakfasts, and hostels all within close reach of the city centre. (Links to hotel websites open in new windows). Jubilee Hotel 31 Eccleston Square Victoria London SW1V 1NZ Tel: +44 (0)207 834 0873 Email: stay@jubileehotel.co.uk Website: http://www.jubileehotel.co.uk/ Gower House Hotel 57 Gower Street Bloomsbury London WC1E 6HJ Tel: +44 (0)20 7636 4685 Email: info@gowerhousehotel.co.uk Website: http://www.gowerhousehotel.co.uk/ Jesmond Hotel 63 Gower Street Bloomsbury London WC1E 6HJ Tel: +44 (0)207 636 3199 Email: reserve@jesmondhotel.org.uk Website: http://www.jesmondhotel.org.uk/ Any listing here does not constitute a recommendation and ISKCON UK and London Rathayatra cannot accept responsibility for accommodation issues. You can still see what's happening on 22nd June by looking at the festival via one (or more) of these links to Trafalgar Square webcams. The following links open in new windows so this one stays open. http://www.camvista.com/england/london/trafsq.php3 http://www.webviews.co.uk/network/camera/england/london/tragalgarsquare/streamingcam.html http://camglobal16.camstreams.com/ Where to Stay in London
Hotels in London
Trafalgar Square Webcams
1967
For over 5000 years the Rathayatra festival has been celebrated in India by millions of pilgrims.
This transcendental festival was brought from India to the west in 1967 by the founder of the Hare Krishna movement: His divine grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The Rathayatra festival is now celebrated every summer in over 200 cities around the world.
1969
London's first Rathayatra took place in 1969.
The festival was arranged by 8 pioneering devotees and their congregation.
The procession started at Marble arch and proceeded to Trafalgar Square.
Shyamasundar Dasa built the first chariot for Lord Jagannath in London.
Headlines in national papers read “Krishna Chant Startles London”.
Srila Prabhupada instructed “make the Deities so beautiful that everyone will be attracted to them”. Under this direct order Shyamasundar Dasa carved the Deities of Jagannath Baladeva and Subhadra.
These Deities are still worshipped in London today, and once a year they come out of the temple to ride through London to Trafalgar Square.
1970
A new year, a new chariot - a 50 foot high chariot proceeded majestically through the streets, whilst on all sides Londoners chanted and danced in great happiness.
The Back to Godhead Magazine stated “Londoners still have not recovered from that initial shock of that transcendental sound vibration in 1969. The Radha Krishna Temple (music band) has not let them”.
The devotees in London, now numbering 30, continued to bombard England with 'Hare Krishna' on records, television and radio.
They were also in the movies, newspapers and magazines. Devotees chanted and danced down Oxford Street every day.
This was the first major Rathayatra with devotees from all over Europe and America attending.
This was the beginning of the fulfilment of Lord Chaitanya prophesy that the chanting would take place “In every town and Village”.
The Hare Krishna devotees overtook Leicester square - with huge flashing billboards announcing “Holy Jagannath Car Procession”.
All the newspapers were filled with descriptions of the 1970 Rathayatra,
they had never seen anything like this in London before. On seeing these
headlines Srila Prabhupada stated “You see my devotees have conquered
London”.
1973
This was a special year because the Rathayatra was attended by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada - Founder Acharya of ISKCON.
Although Srila Prabhupada was 74 years of age, he chanted and danced throughout the entire procession.
He ignored the elegant seat on the chariot, which was offered to him, much to the delight of the assembled devotees.
This festival was Srila Prabhupada’s triumphant moment - looking out at thousands of people chanting the Holy name in Trafalgar Square.
This festival was organised by the young Maha Vishnu Swami (a current leader of the Hare Krishna movement), who donated £10,000 pounds left to him in a will to make this an extraordinary festival - with publicity on public buses and a feature film made.
The Police commentated “this was the most delightful of public displays that they had ever seen, everyone was perfectly mannered”.
The next day front page headlines of the Guardian newspaper read “ISKCON Rathayatha is rival to Nelson’s column”.
Srila Prabhupada writes in Caitanya Caritamrita. “Just as the residents of Puri compared the Rathayatra cart to Mount Sumeru, the residents of London considered the cart rival to the Nelson Monument.”
1985
Rathayatra now proceeded from Marble Arch to Battersea Park, allowing for a larger festival at the end of the procession.
What followed were years of memorable outdoor stage performances, dances, dramas, and transcendental chanting.
The park provided a family atmosphere on the banks of the river Thames.
1996
This year marked the ‘Prabhupada Centennial’, the 100th Anniversary of
Srila Prabhupada’s appearance in this world. The procession had over 8,000 people on it in 1996.
This was made even more momentous by the news that after a decade of struggle, Bhaktivedanta Manor (the temple near Watford) was to remain open for public worship.
1999
The Festival returned to the original route, and to its original promise of Ratha yatra, as a festival where the Lord gives His audience to the whole of London.
A triumphant return to a new and traffic free Trafalgar Square was made.
To
celebrate this event over 10 Sannyasis (senior leaders of the movement)
attended this event and it was filmed for the international TV series Abhay
Charan.
2004
After many years of caring for the Rathayatra chariot, Titikshu Dasa gained permission from the local authorities to build two more glorious chariots for the London Rathayatra.
From this year onwards London has three chariots to make this colourful procession and festival even more spectacular.
Also in 2004 (as if by miracle) Trafalgar Square was redesigned so the top terrace was opened up. This provided a means to display the three chariots, and the new steps allowed everyone a clear view of Their Lordships on the three chariots.
The procession was now befitting London’s status as the world’s leading city.
2008
The chariot which has been in service for the last 26 years was completely rebuilt this year.
The Queen’s wheelwright was commissioned to make the huge wooden wheels in the traditional style.
The carpentry and paintwork is all the work of dedicated volunteers. These chariots are built to last at least 25 years.
The chariots are built to last, and so is this Rathayatra festival. As the
years go by Rathayatra is becoming established as a prestigious
event.
The colourful festival of Rathayatra took place in London for the 40th time in 2008.
Over four thousand people joined the procession for this special occasion.
Warm sunshine (rain had been predicted) accompanied the chanting parties as they made their way through London in front of the three magnificent chariots.
Many devotees commented on how wonderful Lord Jaganntha, Baladeva and Lady Subhadra looked in their bright new outfits, which were made by the devotees of the London temple especially for the day.
The three fifty foot high chariots, bedecked in hundreds of bright garlands and mirror decorations, amazed many onlookers as they proceeded through London.
At Trafalgar Square twenty thousand people took part in the festivities and savoured the feast, which was expertly cooked and managed by Parasurama who was assisted by volunteers at Bhaktivedanta manor.
There is however, an inside story behind this Rathayatra festival.
A dedicated team of enthusiastic volunteers make it all happen.
Titiksu dasa, who is the festival coordinator and has been looking after the chariots since 1984, launched a marathon this year because Lady Subhadra needed a new chariot.
After all Lord Jagannatha and Lord Baladeva had new chariots built in 2004, and since then the London Rathayatra has had three chariots.
This meant that Lady Subhadra was still riding on the original, twenty six year old chariot.
This year’s chariot building marathon lasted two months, and at the end of it the Rathayatra volunteers presented an amazing new chariot for Lady Subhadra.
The team worked with great commitment and devotion. Many of the volunteers such as Tusta Krsna, Satya Narayana, Damodar Krsna and Terry had to fit this service around their other employment.
The wheels on the chariots are specially commissioned. They are made by Her Majesty the Queen’s wheelwrights who employ the traditional methods of steaming and bending wood. This ensures that the enormous wheels are very strong and durable, as well as looking beautiful.
Meanwhile, at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Titiksu and Varsana dasi had masterminded a special cake to mark the 40th Rathayatra festival.
Anuradha devi dasi baked several fruitcakes. After the baking she secretly got to work in the library with a group of artists to make each cake into a display of Rathayatra pastimes, in special three dimensional sugar forms.
The artistic cakes were a big attraction at Trafalgar Square where the main organisers, and the dignitaries, including Maha visnu swami, Jaya Pataka Maharaja, Rancor dasa, Gauri dasa, Titiksu das and Varsana dasi cut them to commemorate the special day.
Chakra-nadi dasi