Colony Of Maryland

Ratha Jatra to be held in Maryland

Reno, Nevada, June 26, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio)  Ratha Jatra (Hindu Festival of Chariots) will be organized in Lanham (Maryland, USA) on July three afternoon.

It will be held at Murugan Temple of North America and will include chariot pulling, pooja, offering coconuts and flowers, mahaprasad distribution, and cultural events. Purpose is to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath, organizers say.

It will reportedly feature a decorated chariot carrying images of Hindu deities Lord Jagannath (a form of Krishna), Baladev (Krishna’s elder brother) and Subhadra (Krishna’s younger sister); which will be pulled by the devotees. People of all denominations are invited, according to Shreekanta Nayak and Soumya Kanta of the Ratha Jatra Committee.  Anthony G. Brown, Maryland Lieutenant Governor, is expected to participate.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

The original Ratha Jatra is held on a grand scale in Puri (Orissa, India), where the presiding deities of Sri Mandira—Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra—with celestial wheel Sudarshana are driven on the chariots to about two miles north Gundicha temple in an elaborate ritual procession, where the huge colorfully decorated chariots are drawn by thousands of devotees. After a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode in Sri Mandira. A glimpse of Lord Jagannatha on the chariot is considered to be highly auspicious and even a touch of the chariot is believed to yield benefits equivalent to several pious deeds. Many poets have written its glories. This year, it will be held on July three.

Coin Collectors Blog: Maryland Colony's First Currency Emission

In 1727, King George II named Charles Calvert the Fifth Baron of Baltimore. Charles then appointed himself Maryland’s governor in 1732, succeeding his brother, Benedict Calvert. When Charles took office, the colonial treasury was in need of funding. Charles used his political connections in London, he was granted permission to authorize and fund the first emission of bills of credit in the Maryland colony. currency. The notes were issued in denominations based on the British pound sterling of 20 shillings: 1/- (one shilling), 1/6 (one shilling 6 pence), 2/6, 5/-, 10/-, 15/-, and 20/-. The first issue consisted of £90,000 in bills of credit that were issued as legal tender for most debts except for fees due to a minister or an officer. Each taxpayer was to be given 30/- in notes in return for burning 150 pounds of tobacco currency. History does not record why colonists were paid to burn tobacco. The notes were to be redeemed in 1748 with profits through Calvert’s investments in Bank of England stock that was purchased from the proceeds of a tax on tobacco exports. The notes were engraved in England and the paper was watermarked “Maryland.” When issued, the notes were hand dated with two signers. During the French and Indian War, the British government expected the affected colonies to contribute men and money. Royal Governor Horatio Sharpe asked the legislature to loan £2,000 to the war effort, to be used as rewards for enemy scalps. This emission used the same notes that were backed by a tax on carriage and wagon wheels, import duties on wine and rum, import duties on slaves, and license fees for peddlers. A further emission of £40,000 was authorized to pay for soldiers and the building of defenses to protect Maryland colonists. To support the loan, the Assembly added taxes to bachelors, billiard tables, legal documents, land, and also import taxes on horses, pitch, tar, and turpentine. An emission of £650 was authorized to help the British government pay gifts to allied native nations who fought in the war and a £3,000 loan to Virginia to help their reparations for the war.

The Colony of Maryland

The Colony of Maryland, A Primary Source History

The Maryland colony

The colony of Maryland

The Maryland Colony