PEGOGNAGA, ITALY, January 27, 2013 (Gazzetta Di Mantova): The two-day festival of the Hindu community of the Po River Lowlands began on Saturday with the “Shoba Yatra,” the procession of the divine statues, followed by a crowd of devotees through the streets of Pegognaga. The religious event, which was promoted by the “Shri Hari Om Mandir” in collaboration with the Municipality of Pegognaga, is to celebrate the installation of the divine statues which will take place today from 9 am at the Hindu temple on Martin Luther King Street in Polesine.
The event involves the Indian community of the whole area and also many Italian citizens of the Lowlands, Mantua and surrounding areas. The procession, preceded by the organizers of the festival, the authorities of the Hindu community and the chariot of the Gods, started from the square of the Coop and after having crossed the Avenue San Lorenzo arrived in Matteotti Plaza, where it was greeted by the mayor Dimitri Melli and local residents.
The national anthem of India was played and sung in front of the town hall because it was precisely on this day, January 26, that is Republic Day in India celebrating the 64th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of India.
The “Moorti Sthapna,” the ceremony of the positioning of the divine statues in the temple, will occur on the second day of the festival. The Indian consul in Milan, Sanjay Verma, and the mayors of the towns in the surrounding region will attend.