Source: The Arizona Republic

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0726nehindu26.html

On July 26, 2003 The Arizona Republic reported that "Hindu worshipers kicked off a three-day festival Friday in Scottsdale that will culminate Sunday morning in the pulling of a decorated chariot down Hayden Road... The festival, known as Ratha-Yatra, or the Chariot Festival or Car Festival, is expected to attract thousands of Hindu worshippers from across Arizona, said Hara Misra, president of the Hindu Temple of Arizona... This will be the first year the 2-year-old Scottsdale temple is holding the celebration... Ratha-Yatra celebrates the mythological journey of the Hindu god Krishna thousands of years ago. In India, three giant colorful chariots carry wooden statues of the deities Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath."