On Tuesday 1 July 2003, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Bhawanipur, Kolkata, celebrated the Rath Yatra festival. The beautifully decorated Rath (chariot) bearing the murtis of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Jagannathji, Balramji and Subhadraji, was pulled by over 15,000 people along its route from 4.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.
The procession was flagged off in traditional style with the chanting of Vedic mantras, as BAPS sadhus and invited guests swept the road with a golden brush.
Among the guests were: Shri S.K. Khaitan (Khaitan Fans), Shri Arun Lal (Secretary, National Cricket Players' Association), Shri Dinesh Trivedi (MP, General Secretary, TMC), Shri S.N. Bajaj (President, International Marwadi Federation), Shri C.P. Kanoi (Kanoi Tea) and others.