- The Utah Odia Community hosted the Rath Yatra Festival in Kearns on Saturday.
- Over 300 attendees celebrated with songs, dancing and a golden chariot procession.
- The event highlighted inclusivity and cultural exchange with support from Utah's diverse communities.
KEARNS — A tradition celebrating love and compassion for all, stretching back since at least the 14th century, was celebrated in Kearns Saturday morning at the newly established Hindu temple.
Horns, drums and cymbals sounded as the attendees celebrated the Rath Yatra Festival, or Chariot Festival celebrating Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra.
Pranab Nayak of the Odia Association of Utah said the festival is an ancient celebration that focuses on equality, inclusiveness, compassion and the joy of bringing people together in devotion and service.
"We are a small community, but many of our friends from across Utah join us and participate in the celebration," Nayak said. "It has become a wonderful opportunity to bring people from different backgrounds together."
Men, women and children, most dressed in traditional Indian clothing, smiled and laughed together as they sang and danced before a large golden chariot. Within the temple, photographs were not allowed, but all were welcome to enter, provided they removed their shoes.
According to Nayak, three divine beings — Lord Jagannath, his brother, Lord Balabhadra and sister Subhadra — come out of their temple and travel among the people in a chariot as part of the festival. Their journey signifies that the divine is accessible to all people, not just those who visit the temple.
"Rath Yatra is a time-honored tradition that has the power to bring people together, transcending boundaries and fostering a sense of oneness," said Satyaswarup Panigrahi, a representative of the Utah Odia Community.
Odisha, a state located in India, is the epicenter of the Chariot Festival. Nayak said "lakhs of devotees" gather in Odisha to celebrate. A 'Lakh' is equal to 100,000. While the festival in Utah was not as large, more than 300 people attended to worship their gods.
The main public festival began at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, allowing worshippers and visitors to sing and dance as the chariot circled the parking lot. The chariot paused multiple times on its journey around a median, allowing dancers to perform and celebrate Krishna. Bhupendra Satpathy, president of the Odia Association of Utah, said the chariot had been refurbished over the past month in preparation for the festival.
Three dancers who performed on Saturday said they had begun practicing when they were 5 years old. Years later, Iyra Maringanti, Poorvi Nandiraju and Saloni Shah shared their talent and worshiped Krishna in front of Lord Jagannath's chariot. While they said they were slightly nervous, they were all very excited to perform.
"It's a storytelling dance," Nandiraju said. "Most of the dances focus on footwork, but this one tells the story of Krishna."
"I really like this dance, because you get to show a lot of expressions," Maringanti said.
"You don't get to experience a lot of Indian cultural things here in Utah," Shah said, "so participating allows me to connect back to my roots and spread our culture."
The building was once a chapel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dinesh Kumar, a devotee who attended the festival, said it was repurposed to serve as the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir, or temple, in 2025.
Following the chariot's procession around the parking lot, the temple hosted a free meal for all attendees. The food, known as prasad, had been offered before the gods at the beginning of the festival before being shared with devotees.
Many of the participants here in Utah celebrated Rath Yatra in India before traveling to the United States. The Krishna temple in Salt Lake City has also been celebrating Rath Yatra for several years, but Nayak said their celebrations are on a smaller scale than the Odia Association of Utah's.
Nayak said they have "absolutely" felt welcomed in Utah by members of other faiths.
"The people of Utah, following Christian traditions, have welcomed and supported our community," Nayak said.
Satpathy also thanked the many sponsors and volunteers who made the event possible.
"Their contributions have helped create an unforgettable experience that will leave a lasting impact on the attendees," Satpathy said.
