Ratha Yatra 2024 was marked at the Dundee Hindu Temple today. Rath Yatra holds profound spiritual significance for devotees. It symbolises life’s journey, with the movement of the divine chariots representing the soul’s pilgrimage towards liberation. Pulling the chariots is seen as a way to earn divine blessings and cleanse one’s sins.

The day was hosted by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement.

The special guest was Bhakti Caitanya Swami who addressed devotees and held a question and answer session.

Originally from New Zealand, Bhakti Caitanya Swami joined the Hare Krishna movement in London, early in 1973.

Then Bhakti Caitanya Swami moved to South Africa, where, from 1980 to 1982, he served as temple president in the rural community of Cato Ridge. Thereafter he did fundraising for the building of the Temple of Understanding in Durban, which opened in 1985. This extraordinary temple combines modern design with traditional Vedic architecture and is one of South Africa’s landmarks. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and tourists visit each year.

See video here:

From 1985 until 1988 Bhakti Caitanya Swami served as regional secretary for South Africa, and he then participated in an outreach project in Johannesburg from 1988 until 1991. From that time until now, Bhakti Caitanya Swami has been mostly engaged in travelling and spreading Krsna consciousness in an authoritative and accessible way. His permanent base is Durban, where his gentle and saintly presence provides stability.

After joining the GBC in 1998, Bhakti Caitanya Swami’s assignments have included Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Estonia. Furthermore, he acts as co-GBC for Mauritius, Northwest Russia, Eastern Siberia, Western Siberia, Latvia, South Africa, and Lithuania. Bhakti Caitanya Swami has served as chairman of the GBC from 2002-2003 and as vice chairman from 2001-2003 and then again from 2010-2011. Within the strategic planning team effort, Bhakti Caitanya Swami is involved in the team building committee.

The event is continuing and all are still welcome.

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