Rathyatra Chariot Parade: A Hindu Celebration of Jagannatha

I had never been to the Hindu celebration of Jagannatha, so decided to go to the 12^th annual gathering in Baltimore. The weather was beautiful with a breeze from the ocean.

As expected, there was color, dance, worship and free vegetarian food. Thousands of people, of all walks of life. They surrounded a majestic chariot covered in fresh carnation flowers where the icon of Jagannatha “Lord of the Universe”, carved in wood, was respectfully guarded and worshiped. I learned that the original icon of the deity resides at the temple city of Puri in Odishia. The temple of Jagannatha in Puri is regarded as one of the sacred Hindu pilgrimage places in India.

While in line for food, the Indian couple in front of me specified that Jagannatha is a form of the Hindu God Vishnu, and is non-sectarian. That is why all who attend the celebration are given the free food, and accepted as a fellow inhabitant of the earth paying respect to the Lord of the Universe.

So, amid all the color, singing, dancing, and the always enchanting smell of Curry from the large pots of rice and tofu, I decided to take a few pictures in Black & White.

I had to walk through the harbor and there, in a split second, an uber healthy and muscular man ran next to an older gentleman in a wheelchair. I clicked with a focus on infinity as the various stages of life seemed to be in one spot.

           

When I got to the celebration site, an immense chariot welcomed me. This picture shows the Harbor in the background through the tall masts of its sailboats. It also shows the non-sectarian and universality of the Lord of the Universe, as this non-Indian worshiper was among the ones who guarded the icon of the deity on the chariot.

There was chanting and drum beating. I decided to describe it by focusing on the young lady who was beating the drum. She was perfect for a portrait in B&W.

This boy, in his father’s lap, had the curiosity one hopes to see in those young eyes. He was mesmerized by the chariot and all the chanting. For me, I was looking at the next generation, the next worshiper, the next humility we need to have for the immensity of the universe.

As in every crowd, there is one person who stands out. This time, it was this lady, blonde, holding what seemed a century-old umbrella, and wearing a sari. She stood out in that large crowd, and I needed an angle to describe the moment. Well, you decide—I tried to put her in context yet show why she could not pass unnoticed.

On my way back, I walked  by the harbor. In a few short strides I was in a different world, where the present was what counted, and where no one chanted to the wooden icons of a deity. Most people were blond, wearing boring color shorts or T-shirts, and doing whatever they felt like doing.

The contrast between these two “worlds” was pronounced and I wanted to show that contrast. Well, it was not difficult—this couple was all in the moment and did not care what was happening around them.

Or the universe.

May 25, 2014

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2014

About the lens: I took the pictures of the celebration through a 1976 manual focus Nikon Nikkor 105mm lens at full aperture of f=2.5. It used to be the lens of choice for portraiture, and I decided to do “portraits” in a crowd of thousands, worshiping the Hindu deity Jagannatha, in a harbor near the Atlantic Ocean, in Baltimore.