Devotees in Manipur celebrate final day of Kanglen festival

The streets of Manipur resonated with chants of devotion and colourful processions as thousands of devotees celebrated the concluding day of Kanglen, the state's annual Rath Yatra festival, on Friday. The nine-day festival culminated with the return journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, as beautifully decorated chariots travelled through towns and villages amid large gatherings of devotees. One of the major celebrations took place at the ISKCON Temple in Imphal, where devotees joined a grand Rath Yatra procession. According to Ramanuja Das, Vice-President of ISKCON Temple, Manipur observes the nine-day festival in the same spirit as the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, though the concluding-day tradition differs slightly. He said the chariot procession began from the temple, proceeded to Kokaithil and would return to the temple. Devotees from across the city participated in prayers and devotional singing along the route. The celebrations will conclude with the chariot's return to the temple and the distribution of Mahaprasad.