(Photos by Indradyumna Swami.)

Organizers say the colourful Festival of Chariots on Durban’s North Beach over the long weekend drew around 200,000 people to the promenade this weekend.

The annual festival, held by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness saw colourful chariots dragged through the promenade on Friday, followed by three days of song, dance and multi-faith discourses.

The group also handed out more than 250,000 free plates of food this year. Top band, Freshly Ground as well as the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra and the KwaMashu Choir featured in a concert with Hare Krishna devotees ending the festival last night.

BB Govinda Swami and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra

ISKCON’s Govinda Swami has told Newswatch the diversity of the crowd was inspiring.

“The sea of different colours [and] the sea of different people, it’s a sea of different religions. You know people don’t get together [like this] except at a world cup soccer match.

Scottish bagpipers in front of the Chariots

“Everybody can walk up and down the beach promenade and say yes, yes, we are all together, we are all one. This has really been like a festival of different cultures coming together, so it’s been beautiful” he said.

Zulus glorifying God with their dance

http://www.ecr.co.za/post/photos-festival-of-chariots-draws-200-000/

Tag: durban , festival-of-chariots , ratha-yatra , south-africa