2019 Rath Yatra: Love for the Lord pulls them to Puri
PURI: The world famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath transcends religious boundaries and encompasses the eternal Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (all the world is one).This unique essence of the annual sojourn of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra beguiled a couple from far off the Netherlands.
An aeroplane maintenance engineer, Jeroen (Jerry) van Duren and his girlfriend Maria Huiskamp, who works with Dutch embassy arrived here on Wednesday evening after a two-day journey covering a distance of over 7700 km. They had expected the Car festival to be a grand spectacle but on Thursday as the deities came down from the temple to become one with the common man, the duo was swept away by the spirit and atmosphere. “It is an experience of a lifetime for us. One that we will cherish forever,” the couple said.
Starting from pahandi (ceremonial procession) and ‘chhera pahanra’ (ceremonial sweeping) to pulling of chariots, the couple witnessed all rituals from atop a building arranged for them by a travel operator. Though they wanted to pull chariots, they could not due to heavy rush of devotees.
“Since we knew that non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple, we opted for the Rath Yatra occasion to catch a glimpse of the Almighty. If possible we would like to pull the chariots next time. We would love to visit again. The food here is awesome and sweets are very tasty,” she said while taking a bite of Odisha’s famous Chhenapoda.
“It is our second visit to India and first to Odisha. We had been to North Indian cities when we last visited the country. Odisha, especially Puri, was our dream destination when early this year we planned our travel. And it was, of course, Lord Jagannath and his famous Rath Yatra that attracted us to the Pilgrim city,” said Jerry.
It was, in fact, Maria, who discovered the destination while surfing the internet on a Sunday morning. She studied the history behind the chariot festival and researched on the Jagannath culture before zeroing in on it. The couple instantly fell in love with the Lord, the land and the people. “The atmosphere is reverberating. I had not imagined that devotees would be celebrating the chariot festival with so much devotion. It is fascinating that everyone present on the Grand Road is immersed in religious fervour,” said Maria.
Four years into their relationship, the couple has no immediate plans for marriage. Wedding is very expensive in the Netherlands. We are now out exploring the world. We have to earn more money before tying the knot, they smile away before getting immersed in the celebrations again.