"We are welcoming you all to the Ratha Yatra festival. It is a festival which is dedicated to the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha mantra. We are here in the temple of Lord Jagannatha. Lord Jagannatha is Lord Krsna and Lord Jagannatha is specifically worshipped through the process of harinama sankirtana. 500 years ago the worship of Lord Jagannatha reached a high point. We find the worship of Lord Jagannatha already described in the Skanda Purana and there it is mentioned that as early as the Satya Yuga, the worship of Jagannatha was going on. So Jagannatha has been worshipped now for over millions of years but 500 years ago that worship had changed because 500 years ago, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was there and firstly introduced harinama sankirtana in Jagannatha Puri. And at that time the chanting of Hare Krsna became connected to the worship of Lord Jagannatha and has never left."
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 04 July 2010, Phoenix Ratha Yatra, SA)
