DC Rathayatra

Spent our nations independence day in Washington DC for the Independence day parade of which rathayatra is the closing act. It was a typical hot summer day, not made easier by the fact that we were forced to take off our hats and put our bags on the cart during the parade. Fortunately, once we began chanting and dancing, it wasn't much of a concern as the thousands of people were given the fortune of attaining Lord Jagannath's wonderful darshan. Once the parade was over, the organizers set up a cool down station which included giant tubs full of ice cold water, and a "human" car wash, which I got a photo of. After going through twice, I was feeling really comfortable, and went to collect my camelbak from the rathayatra cart. When I got it, I found out it had been sitting in the sun for a few hours, so the water was now warm. Fortunately, those giant tubs of ice water came to the rescue, and after dipping my bladder in there for a few minutes, it was nice and cool again. The festival was nice, and the simple feast of cold pasta, salad, and puffed rice really hit the spot. Left DC around 5 PM for an early night as we hit the road in the morning.

Here's the whole album:

DC Rathayatra