Rathayatra in Malaysia

Having survived my Bike ride on New Years Eve, New Years Day held another challenge for me.

Through my association at the Hare Krsna Temple in little India ( which to my delight was much closer now we had moved) I discovered they were organising a bus up to Melaka for the Rathayatra celebrations.

I had attended the festival two years previously when I was staying at the Farm and was eager to attend the incredible procession yet again .

Singapore's Rathayatra celebrations had been scheduled for January 21 by which time I would have left the country so a trip across the border seemed a delightful way to make up for the one I would miss.

Dressed in one of my European Sari's, I made it to the temple in time for morning class at the end of which I was instructed to take Prasadam (food) as the journey to Melaka was quite long.

Prasadam is vegetarian food that has been offered to the presiding Deities and is simply delicious. 

Knowing I had a long journey ahead of me, and despite lots of protests, they piled my plate up and not wishing to waste this amazing feast I eventually found my seat on the bus with a very full stomach!

As we drove out of town I spotted one of the Singapore posters on the wall. Rain poured down once again and I hoped that the weather would improve as we headed north.

With or on-board entertainment singing devotional songs as we went, we reached the border crossing where, unlike the big buses that I normally crossed with we went underground!! 

I sat in wonder as we did all the departure stuff in the confines of the basement without even leaving the minibus.

On the Malay side our passports were stamped while we once again sat quietly in our mini bus seats with the music playing softly in the background. Hands were raised as they called the names in the passports but apart from that we did nothing!

Quickly and effortlessly we crossed into Malaysia in a way I never even knew existed!!

Fuel is much cheaper in Malasia compared to Singapore and it is illegal to leave the country with less than half a tank to discourage drivers from crossing the border just to get fuel. 

Once across the border though our driver headed straight to the nearest fuel station and filled the bus to the very top. 

We would also fill the bus again just before we crossed back into Singapore!

Despite my huge late breakfast my fellow travellers insisted I shared their snacks of fruit, crisps and toffee coated nuts. 

Each time I declined they protested “But it is Prasadam!” and each time I relented and ate more!

It took four hours from leaving the temple in Little India to reach the ISKCON Temple in Melaka. 

As they knew we would be arriving latish, lunch had been especially kept for us!!!!!! 

Huge plates were served, bananas were added as were rotis, sweet rices and halva. 

Never have I eaten so much and I was glad my sari dress was a wrap around skirt as I loosened it twice.

In the temple room we sang kirtan for an hour until it was time to carry Jaganath to the waiting cars so he could be taken into Melaka's old temple in the heart of the city.

Puja was performed at the old temple amid more singing and chanting, people from the street and passing tourists were encouraged to step inside and more than once I was able to explain in English what was happening.

Rathayatra is wonderful celebration as Lord Jaganath, his brother Balaram and his sister Supatra leave their place of worship to circumnavigate the town so they can meet all the people who can not make it to the temple.

With this being a Hare Krsna event Prabupadha, the societies founder, is also included in the procession.

Blessings were offered by one of the Spiritual masters attending before the procession started and then when everything was rdy the drums began to beat!

The large chariots are attached to long ropes which are pulled by willing hands as the procession works its way along the streets.

Chanting and dancing are the norm, prasadam is passed to everyone within reach and as the chariots pass more and more people join in with the festivities. 

At the end of the route there is a huge feast with more singing and dancing.

Having eaten so much during the day I welcomed the walk and passed any prasadam I received to others.

I met people who remembered me from my time at the festival years before as well as ladies from the Kuala Lumpa temple. I danced and sang and despite a few drops of rain here and there the rain stayed away.

When we reached the feast I tried to stand to one side talking to a traveller from Iran who had walked the last part of the journey with me as I explained what Rathayatra meant but my mini bus companions spotted me and called me over to join them in the queue.

I took my new found friend with me intending to pass my food to him but EVERY ONE gets Prasadam and again despite my protests and pleas for 'half, half' I ended up with a huge plate of food.

We all sat and talked as we ate, keeping a careful eye on the time. It had been agreed that once we had taken Prasadam we would begin the journey home.

Hopefully we would make it to the border by midnight and be home soon after. I treated myself to new cartels, even though I had a lovely set both in the UK and Singapore and full to bursting point I settled myself on the bus.

There are no further photos as I dozed most of the way home. 

At the border all the barriers were open. It was New Years Day and today anyone could leave Malaysa as our passports were stamped with no further checks. 

We marvelled at our good fortune, at this rate we would be home by 12.15!

At the Singapore side the checks were more thorough. I had forward planned and filled in my immigration form before I crossed into Malaysia writing on it that I was leaving Singapore in 7 days. 

As I had already crossed into Malaysia and back when I had gone to Tioman I thought nothing of it as I handed everything to the driver to pass to the customs officer.

We waited patiently while he checked everyone's work permits and then he asked for my forwarding plane ticket. I didn't have it as it rested safely in my room back in Singapore!!!

If I had been more awake I could have just said I was planning to back to Malaysia and onto Thailand across land but I didn't think and I told the truth. 

My ticket was in Singapore.

For half an hour we waited at the barrier for an escort (that turned out to be two guys in uniform riding push bikes!!!) to take me plus everyone else to the police station!!

For another half an hour we all, including the driver, sat in a waiting room as three officials dealt with the days problems. The guy in front of us had a damaged passport and was being told to go back to Malaysia. His taxi driver was not impressed and neither was his girlfriend. They pleaded, argued, questioning over and over again that the passport had not been a problem for their entire trip until now but still the officials would not let them in.

I squirmed uneasily in my chair. My fellow companions were patient but I felt awful. We should have been home by now, safe in our beds. People had work in the morning and the driver had an eight am pick up. For all I knew none of us would be allowed into Singapore until I found some way to manifest my onward ticket.

Eventually I was called forward. What airline was I travelling with and what date? I had already told them the date but I couldn't remember who I had booked the ticket with. I realised telling them that would not help the situation.

'Tiger Air', I replied hoping he had no way of checking. He began to type into the computer in front of him and my heart sank. If he could check I was done for. The typing continued and he told me to sit.

Five minutes later he called me up again. I couldn't look at my companions as I walked forward, my heart in my mouth. “Thumb prints”, he demanded indicating the little machine to my right. I placed my thumbs in the machine and waited for the light to go out. “Sit.” he ordered, so I sat.

Another ten minutes passed, my anxiety mounting by the second and then he just stamped my passport and told us we could leave.

Over an hour had passed, our driver was not impressed and muttered all the way back to the bus about the stupid bureaucratic power crazy idiots who ran immigration. As we climbed back onto the minibus I apologised profusely. No body blamed me, no body complained but one guy did suggest I took a photo of my ticket in future… just in case!

Despite the late hour or maybe because of it they insisted I was dropped at my condo instead of the temple where I had planned to get a taxi home.

It had been an incredible day and an eventful night and as I crawled into bed I thought again about my companions suggestion.

I got up, took various photos of not only my flight tickets but also my Indian Visa, passport and drivers license.

It was better to be safe than delayed!!!!