Devotees Gather in their Thousands as Ratha Yatra 2026 Transforms London into a Spiritual Haven
London, United Kingdom: 21/7/2026 – The Shree Jagannatha Society UK (SJSUK) celebrated Ratha Yatra 2026 across two occasions: the sacred tithi on 16 July at Shree Ram Mandir, Southall, and the grand public festival on 18 July at the Navnat Centre, Hayes, London where over a thousand devotees gathered.
Ratha Yatra commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, symbolising divine accessibility to all. The celebrations recreated the spiritual atmosphere of Shree Jagannatha Dham, Puri, through kirtan, bhajan, prayer and community devotion.
Following Ratha Pratishtha, the deities were adorned with traditional Taahias, the Agnya Mala was ceremonially offered, and the deities were carried in Pahandi Bije to the beautifully decorated chariot. The Chhera Pahanra ritual was performed by Lord Rami Ranger, Ajay Thakur (High Commission of India), and Shri Kuldeep Sekhawat (President of OFBJP UK and Director of MATV UK and Swagat TV Network ) before thousands of devotees joyfully pulled the Ratha while chanting “Jai Jagannatha” and “Hari Bolo”. Devotees offered puja and received Bhog Prasad, including Khichidi, Dalama, and Sukhila Bhoga.
The deities will remain at Hindu Temple Slough, the UK equivalent of Gundicha Mandir, until Bahuda Yatra on 26 July 2026.
The celebrations featured devotional performances by Chinmaya Mission, Sachkhand Nanak Dham, SJSUK Kirtan Mandali, Utkalika, and the SJSUK Bhajan Group. Swami Siva Chidananda Saraswathi explained the spiritual significance of Ratha Yatra and the Akash Marg.
Distinguished guests included Lord Uday Nagaraju, Lord Rami Ranger, Krishna Pujara, Ritesh Singh, Kuldeep Sekhawat, Ajay Thakur, Nanda Kumar, Trupti Patel, Sushil Pandit, Siddhartha Mohanty, and other community leaders.
SJSUK thanked sponsors including Dhamecha Group, State Bank of India (UK), Punjab National Bank (UK), Potli and Jalaram Foods.
Chairperson Dr. Sahadev Swain announced that SJSUK is in advanced negotiations to acquire land near Heathrow Airport for a permanent Shree Jagannatha Mandir London. SJS UKTrustees and our host Sukanta Sahu and Amita Mishra invited devotees to support the temple project and the charity’s spiritual, cultural and community initiatives.
Jai Shree Jagannatha! 🚩
