Rituals, mantras unite Odia diaspora for Chandan Yatra in Tokyo

Bhubaneswar: For the third year in a row, Shree Jagannath Society, Japan, held Chandan Yatra in Tokyo on Sunday. The rituals were conducted on the Radhakrishna temple premises in the city by Pandit Munindra Panda.

The celebration was attended by 280 devotees and guests, including NPO Odisha Community Japan president Pratima Behera and Neeranjan Gadgil of Tokyo Marathi Mandal among others.

The ceremony included ‘Vishnu Sahastranam’ (chanting of the 1,008 names of the Lord), with offerings of as many flowers and ‘Chandan (sandalwood paste) Seva’ to Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sudarshan.

Eight children from the Odia diaspora, belonging to different age groups, chanted mantras practised under the guidance of the society member, Lopamudra Thatoi, over the past week. The chanting was based on the theme, “mantramaya jeevana”, which means tagging our daily life with the mantras. “It means which mantra we should chant waking up in the morning, how we should start our day, mantras before our feet touches the Mother Earth, before taking bath, while having food, before starting studies and even before going to bed,” said Thatoi.

Gyanindra Mishra of the society said their aim is to promote and share the unique culture and spiritual values of Shree Jagannath among both Indian and Japanese communities for social harmony and cross-cultural collaboration.

A cultural programme put together by member Sanjib Swain was also staged on the occasion. It included group and solo bhajans, and dance, including Bharatnatyam by Mai Kikuchi.

‘Prasad’ (edible offering) was readied by the temple cooks, who were assisted by Shree Jagannath Society Seva Mandali members.

The Shree Jagannath Society, Japan, also celebrates Rath Yatra, Kartik Purnima and Makar Sankranti.