ISKCON-Mayapur and Nabadwip celebrate Lord Krishna's birth with joy and reverence

 

ISKCON-Mayapur and Nabadwip celebrate Lord Krishna's birth with joy and reverence

Close to 50000 devotees from across the globe participated in the Janmashtami festivities, divine Appearance of Lord Sri Krishna, held at ISKCON headquarter at Sridham Mayapur via various online platforms, said Subroto Das, Head Media Communication.

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News        

                                                 

KRISHNAGAR, 12 AUG: The Covid-19 pandemic is changing the way, major festivals are being celebrated. Shri Krishna Janmashtami also took a virtual route this year in Nabadwip and Mayapur, famous for Vaishnava Dhams. 

Janmashtami celebrations witness lakhs of devotees visit various temples to offer their prayers and seek blessings. However, this year temples followed strict social distancing guidelines and devotees joined the celebrations from their homes - virtually.

Although, only a few selected devotees and pujaris were allowed to perform the rituals inside the Chandradaya temple in ISKCON, Mayapur due to restrictions on entrance but the enthusiasm amongst the devotees was no less.

Close to 50000 devotees from across the globe participated in the Janmashtami festivities, divine Appearance of Lord Sri Krishna, held at ISKCON headquarter at Sridham Mayapur via various online platforms, said Subroto Das, Head Media Communication.

As a precautionary measure, in wake of rising Corona virus cases in the Nadia district, the ISKCON Mayapur Management has decided to keep close the doors of the Chandradaya temple for a month, from 8th August. However the decision will be reviewed after 2 weeks. As per new decision no visitor, devotee and pilgrim will be allowed to enter the campus. Only the pujaris will carry out the regular services of the deities, Mr Das said.

The day began with Mangal Arti, Darshan Arti, lecture on Krishna Lila from Srimad Bhagwatam by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami. From 10 pm to 12 mid-night Mahabishek of the Utsav deity was performed using milk, honey, ghee, yogurt, fruit juices.

Later at midnight Maha Bhog was offered to the Lord. Throughout the day the devotees were fasting  and performed Kirtan and Bhajan. Each year more than a lakh people visit Mayapur during Janmashtami however it was a low key affair this time on ground.  In wake of the rising Corona virus cases in Nadia district, the Mayapur Management has kept closed the main gates of the campus for all devotees and visitors, Mr Das said.

He also said Janmashtami is an important festival for the Vaishnava community. The devotees prayed for well being of all. The devotees will celebrate Vyas Puja, appearance day of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, founder Acharya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness tomorrow morning.

In Nabadwip, Janmashtami was also celebrated amidst maintaining all rituals but with a few numbers of devotees who were allowed to get entry into the temples. Most of the devotees celebrated Janmashtami in their homes and shared photos and videos to their nearest ones.

The birth of Lord Krishna, believed to be the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu, is an annual Hindu festival celebrated as Janmashtami or Gokulashatami. It is usually observed on the eighth day or Ashtami of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Shravan or Bhadrapad. This year, Janmashtami celebrations began 11 August, with many also likely to celebrate it today. Krishna puja is usually conducted at midnight; the ritualistic puja includes 16 steps which are part of the Shodashopachara puja vidhi.

As per the Hindu tradition, Krishna is believed to have been born in Mathura at midnight on the eighth day of the Bhadrapada month. Immediately after his birth, his father Vasudeva took young Krishna across the Yamuna river to save him from uncle King Kansa and gave him to his foster parents in Gokul, Nanda and Yashoda. Legend goes that Kansa’s sister Devaki’s eighth son was prophesied to kill the cruel king. So Kansa locked Devaki and Vasudeva in the prison and started killing their sons one by one until Krishna was born.

On Janmashtami, therefore, idols of infant Krishna are washed, clothed and placed in a cradle. The devotees then break their fast and share foods and sweets with a special emphasis on milk products including makhan, milk and curd.

ISKCON, Mayapur will celebrate the foundation laying ceremony of the historic Ram Temple in Ayodhya

ISKCON, Mayapur will celebrate the foundation laying ceremony of the historic Ram Temple in Ayodhya

Temples across the US will perform special poojas and prayers, while a large number of Indian-Americans have said that they would lit diya to celebrate the bhoomi poojan of the Ram Temple.

              

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News

KRISHNAGAR, 4 AUG: The International Society for Krishna Consciousnes (ISKCON), Mayapur will celebrate the foundation laying ceremony of the historic Ram Temple in Ayodhya tomorrow.

“The bhoomi pujan and laying foundation stone of a grand Sri Ram Mandir on 5th August at Ayodhya is a historic and proud moment for all the followers of Sanatan Dharma across the world. The much awaited construction of the Sri Ram temple is hailed by millions of ISKCON devotees all over the globe and we at the headquarters of the institution in Mayapur plan to celebrate the day by offering lamps before the deities and organising Harinam Sankirtan in the Chandrodaya temple campus throughout the day”, said Subroto Das, head media communications, Iskcon, Mayapur.

His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, founder Acharya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness, as an ambassador of the Sanatan Dharma in the western world acquainted  masses the glories of Maryada Purshottam Sri Ram Chandra in  America, European nations to name a few, Das said.

Earlier on Saturday, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust had issued an appeal to all saints across the country to perform puja in their respective temples and Maths from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm on August 5.

Champat Rai, general secretary of the Trust, requested people to watch the live telecast of Bhoomi Pujan on television and light earthen lamps at home in the evening.

A similar call was issued by the VHP to saints and seers associated with the front. It said the Bhoomi Poojan day must be celebrated keeping in mind the guidelines issued by state administrations to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

“We will follow the same rules in Bengal. People have been asked to stay at home and watch the ceremony on television. They will sing devotional songs and offer prayers at home,” said Sourish Mukherjee, head of the VHP’s media cell in Bengal.

Nabendu Kumar Bandopadhyay, a state leader of the Hindu Jagran Manch, said, “Our organisation too will celebrate the day through prayers at homes and temples. There will be no public gathering.”

Meanwhile, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has collected soil from famous temples and places of pilgrimage spread across West Bengal as well as water from several rivers for the bhoomi pujan to be performed at the site of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone.

VHP workers have collected soil from a large number of sites such as the Madan Mohan temple at Cooch Behar district in north Bengal, the temple of Kapil Muni at Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal, Dakshineswar temple near Kolkata where Ramkrishna Paramhans was a priest and Kalighat temple located near chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence.

Similarly, water was collected from the confluence of Saraswati, Kunti and Hooghly rivers at Triveni in Hooghly district, the Bhagirathi river near the Iskcon temple at Mayapur and several other places.

 Indian-Americans to celebrate Ram Temple foundation laying ceremony

Temples across the US have announced special events to celebrate the foundation laying ceremony of the historic Ram Temple in Ayodhya, with a tableau truck displaying digital images of the Ram Temple going around the US Capitol Hill on Tuesday, according to Hindu community leaders.

Temples across the US will perform special poojas and prayers, while a large number of Indian-Americans have said that they would lit diya to celebrate the bhoomi poojan of the Ram Temple.

Indian-Americans from in and around Washington DC said that a tableau truck with a big LED display on Sri Ram Mandir will go around the Capitol Hill and the White house on Tuesday night. “Ayodhya Sri Ram Mandir Tableau will go around the US Capitol Hill marking the beginning of the historic Temple construction at the holiest site for billion strong Hindus around the World,” a statement issued by the community leaders said.

The Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference and Hindu Mandir Priests’ Conference have also called for a virtual collective national prayer across America to rejoice the upcoming Shree Ram Mandir Poojan at Ayodhya.

Similarly in the city of New York as well, Hindu community leaders have decided to celebrate the historic occasion.

Images of Lord Ram and 3D portraits of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be beamed across the giant billboards in the iconic Times Square on 5 August.

Courtesy: Images from iNET.

After 90 days of closure, Iskcon, Mayapur opens gates for devotees, pilgrims and visitors from today

A proper system of crowd control has been set up and to maintain social distancing among the visitors entry gate is made separare from the exit gate. Visitor movement inside the campus will be monitered by CCTV cameras. 

     

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 5 JULY:  After nearly 90 days of closure  people will again get the opportunity to have darshan  and worship Sri Sri Radha Madhava, as the much anticipated  gates of ISKCON  Chandradaya temple, Mayapur, world headquarter of the institution, have been opened for devotees, pilgrims and visitors from today and onwards. 

However to implement precautionary measures few restrictions have been imposed.

The timings of  darshan will be only between 9 am to 7pm. All visitors will have to enter from the main gate and Gammon gate where each vehicle will be sanitised, followed by screening of the visitors and then the visitor will be sanitised before entering the temple campus. It will be ensured that visitors are properly wearing masks.

A proper system of crowd control has been set up and to maintain social distancing among the visitors entry gate is made separare from the exit gate. Visitor movement inside the campus will be monitered by CCTV cameras. 

The temple premisis, restaurants, toilets will be sanitised on high frequency every day.  To facilitate the visitors free Prasadam will be dostributed in the afternoon.

“Since safety of our devotees and visitors is most important for  us we  took a bit of extra time to open the gates and wanted to ensure we have enough  equipment and proper infrastructure to implement the precautionary measures” informed Sri Madhava Gauranga Das, Vice Chairman of Mayapur Administrative Council.  

The ISKCON Mayapur management is in constant touch with local administration and will abide by all the rules and regulations.

More than 70 lakh people from different parts of the world visit Mayapur, birth place of Sri Chaitanya MahaPrabhu and headquarter of ISKCON. Over the years Mayapur has become a significant tourist destination of not only West Bengal but the entire world.

However this year the global pandemic cast a spell of gloom on the devotees, pilgrims and visitors  all over the world who come in search of spiritual enlightment and submerge in the blissful ocean of Harinam Sankirtan.