The First Ratha Yatra in Kuala Kapuas, Central Borneo

The First Ratha Yatra in Kuala Kapuas, Central Borneo On the day of the festival, devotees gathered near the local sports center along with the Ratha. Colourful flowers and rambutan fruit added a special touch to the chariot’s decoration. Many onlookers stopped to take pictures being amazed by the extraordinary scene. An arati ceremony was then performed and coconuts were smashed on the ground to remove any inauspiciousness. After a traditional dance performance by the 5000 scouts, the Mayor of Kapuas, Mr Ir Ben Brahim Bahat officially inaugurated the festival. The Ratha Yatra committee garlanded him and gave him a copy of the Bhagavad Gita which was warmly received. The Mayor and his staff then started pulling the chariot in front of the famous ‘Pengunjung Tarung’ fields of Kapuas, the starting point of the ‘Indonesian Record for Creativity’ festival. Devotees performed Kirtan and bhajans. Along with the kirtan, Balinese instrumentalists and a marching band from Junior High School of Basarang accompanied the procession. The end point of the parade was the Mayor’s residence. The Mayor’s good wife welcomed the devotees by serving them water and cake. She also interacted with the devotees and expressed her gratitude for them arranging this program. Prasadam was distributed to all. #laxmi