Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Rath Yatra festival in Parramatta. Rath Yatra, also known as the Festival of Chariots, is one of the biggest and most auspicious Hindu festivals, and its history goes back thousands of years. The cultural celebration tells the story of Lord Jagannath. lord of the universe, when he leaves his palace temple and appears before the public to grant his blessings. The Rath Yatra festival symbolises his story by dragging a chariot through the streets. So big has that procession become over time, that it has spawned the word 'Jaga-naut' in recognition of the story of Lord Jagannath. It is a fantastic festival that displays some of India's finest cultural traditions, including music and dance. I was pleased to join the procession from Alfred Square in North Parramatta to Centenary Square in the heart of Parramatta's CBD. It is a festival that is so full of colour and music that I would not want to miss it—and I will definitely be there again, as I was last year. I would especially like to thank the coordinator of the Festival of Chariots, Somendra Krsna Das, who is also secretary of Vedic Festival. I would like to thank also Varanayaka Das, President of ISKCON Sydney Group and Gambhir Watts OAM, President of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia for their support for this event. I really look forward to joining the Parramatta community in dragging that chariot through the streets again next year.