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Sri Krishna Janmastami Mahotsav 2012 @ ISKCON Baroda

Sri Krishna Janmastami Mahotsav 2012

By Basu Ghosh Das

More pictures on the internet of the program -- http://tinyurl.com/cl3mkah

On Friday, August 10, 2012, ISKCON Baroda observed the annual Sri Krishna Janmastami festival in grand style!

An estimated lakh of people (100,000) visited the Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar Mandir at Hare Krishna Land, Baroda, on Sri Krishna Janmastami day.

The six-acre Hare Krishna Land compound here was decorated profusely with banana trees, flowerpots, and flowers, placed at various places.  The temple room and Deity altars were decorated with intricate flower garlands, and flower and leaf decorations.

ISKCON IYF, congregational, and Bhakti Vriksha devotees distributed books, conducted seminars, conducted japa chanting sessions, from booths erected on the side of the exit road, leading from the temple to the main road, outside the temple compound.

Inside the temple, as local devotees in large numbers came through the crowd control directed pathway for Deity darshan, laddu prasad was sold large quantities.

Throughout the day, just outside the temple, on the “exit path”, bananas, peda (sweet) and panjiri prasad, was distributed free to all the visitors to the temple.

Phalaahaari (non-grain) prasad was sold in the Govinda’s “Gujarati thali” (Gujarati style plate meal) Restaurant.  At the Govinda’s snack bar, located below Govinda’s restaurant (on the ground level) various phalaaphaari snacks and limited phalaahaari plates of prasad were sold in large quantities.  The regular temple gift shop did a very good business as well!

Several prominent members of Baroda society visited the temple for darshan of Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar, Sri Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadradevi and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai.

His Holiness Vallabhacharya Goswami Dwarakeshlalji, probably the most famous prominent Vaishnav leader in Baroda, came for darshan.  He performed arati to Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar.  He arrived just as the Honorable Mayor of Baroda, Smt. Dr. Jyotiben Pandya, was having darshan of the Deities!

Dwarakeshlalji, Mayor Jyotiben Pandya, and former Mayor Sri Shabadasharan Brahmbhatt, all sat together for sometime, in our VIP reception room.

Dwarakeshlalji had just returned to Baroda on Janmastami morning from attending a “World Peace conference” at Hiroshima, Japan, and despite fatigue, decided to accept our invitation visit ISKCON Baroda.  Taking the opportunity I showed him pictures of my recent visit to Eastern Europe, including photos of Jagannath Rathayatra at Budapest, and Berlin.

After he departed, the Member of Parliament from Baroda, Sri Balkrishna (Baalu) Shukla (BJP), came for darshan and took phalaahaari prasad in the VIP reception room.

Thereafter, District Collector and District Magistrate, Sri Vinod Rao, IAS, along with his wife, son and parents, also came for darshan and took phalaahaari prasad.

At midnight, just at the abhishek of the Deities was about to begin, Baroda City Police Commissioner , Sri Satish Sharma, IPS, along with his family, took places just in front of the Deities and witnessed the abhishek ceremony.

The temple room here was packed to capacity at midnight and crowd control was not an easy task!

Many other prominent leaders of society visited ISKCON Baroda on Krishna Janmastami for Deity darshan.  Gujarat Government Minister of State for Tourism, Supply (and several other departments), Sri Jitubhai Sukhadiya (who is our local MLA – Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly), as well as many local municipal councilors, from both BJP and Congress parties, visited.

Midnight panchamrita abhishek was performed by Murlimanohar Prabhu, co-Temple President of ISKCON Vijayawada, myself, and the ISKCON Baroda pujari staff.

Chappanbhog (56 items –- a traditional term -- but more items were offered) was offered to Their Lordships just before the midnight arati.

The next day, both Nandotsav and Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasapuja were observed.

ISKCON life patron members and their families – approximately five thousand persons -- were served prasad in the afternoon.  In the evening, there was an “open bhandara” during which prasad for 30,000 was prepared and served.

Puris, mixed subji, chole (chick peas), kadi, rice, phulwadi (savory/”namkeen” made from chickpea flour and spices) and halawa were served to all.

Rain that began to fall during the day on Saturday, August 11, did not dampen the spirits of the visiting devotees who turned up in large numbers to take the “bhandara” prasad! However, we had to cancel the planned cultural program due to the rain.  This year, before Janmastami, there was scant rain in Gujarat, but since Janmastami day, it has been raining incessantly, we are glad to report, thus officially ending a drought that was going to severely affect the population here.

Thanks to Sriman Nityananda Ram Das, the team of devotee sevaks, Bhakta Shivalal Goyal, and many other devotees and donors too numerous to mention here for services rendered towards making the Sri Krishna Janmastami festival at ISKCON Baroda a grand success!

Thirty first annual Jagananath Rathayatra Mahotsav 2012

Thirty first annual Jagananath Rathayatra Mahotsav 2012 @ Baroda

By Basu Ghosh Das

View pictures of the Rathayatra on the internet:  http://tinyurl.com/79telzs

On the auspicious day of “aashaadh shukla dvitiya” (the second ay of the waxing fortnight of the month of “aashaadh” in the Hindu calendar – “aashadi beej” in Gujarati), ISKCON Baroda organized for the thirty-first consecutive time the Jagannath Rathayatra (mahotsav) festival.

In the morning of the festival, large numbers of citizens of Baroda – who are naturally devotees of Lord Krishna (as here in Gujarat worship of Lord Krishna as “Ranchodji” [“one who gave up the battlefield”] and “Srinathji” [“the beautiful Lord”] is an old and very popular tradition) came to ISKCON Baroda’s Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar Mandir for darshan of Their Lordships, the presiding Deities here, and for darshan of Sri Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadradevi, and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai.

Also, many political leaders of Baroda came for “darshan arati” (“Deity greeting”) at 8 AM, when Their Lordships were decorated with a new dress.

Amongst them were the Honorable Mayor of Baroda, Smt. Jyotiben Pandya, Sri Jitubhai Sukhadiya, local MLA (member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly) and Minister of State in the Gujarat Government, Sri Bhupendra Lakhawala, also Minister of State and Baroda (old) city MLA, a number of leaders and elected members of the Baroda Municipal Corporation, from both the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and the Congress Party who were present at the temple.

Later on Baroda Police Commissioner Satish Sharma, IPS, and Baroda Municipal Commissioner Sri Ashwini Kumar, IAS, visited the temple for darshan of Their Lordships.

Their Lordships left the temple at 1 PM, after Rajbhog arati, for the Baroda Railway Station, the traditional place of the commencement of the Rathayatra parade.

Horse carts, decorated for the occasions, brass bands, and a number of ISKCON devotees from all over India were at the head of the parade.

Several senior ISKCON devotees participated in the Rathayatra, including Bhakti Vikas Swami, Mahaman Das ACBSP, President of ISKCON Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Murlimohan Das, President of ISKCON Vijayawada, Satchidananda Das, President of ISKCON Vallabhvidyanagar, Radha Ranjan Das, Co-President of ISKCON Kanpur, Narahari Das, Guesthouse Manager, ISKCON Juhu, Surangi Mataji, also from ISKCON Juhu, Sachiputra Das, Manager, Govinda’s Restaurant and preacher, ISKCON New Delhi, and devotees from Chandigarh, ISKCON Juhu’s Talasari farm, and devotees from far away Vellore, in Tamil Nadu.

The Rathayatra procession began after arati performed by Bhakti Vikas Swami and the ceremonial sweeping of the road with a golden broom by Honorable Mayor of Baroda Smt. Jyotiben Pandya, at around 3 PM.  Collector of Baroda district, Sri Vinod Rao, IAS, was present as the Chief Guest at the inauguration of the procession.

Member of Parliament from Baroda, Sri Balkrishna Shukla (BJP), sat on the cart with devotees for the first kilometer of the procession.

The procession followed the traditional route from the Baroda Railway Station through Sayajiganj – in front of the Maharaja Sayajirao University to Sayajibagh, Kalaghoda, Salatwada naka, Kothi char rasta, Raopura Main Road, Jubilee Bagh, Sursagar, Dandia Bazar, Khanderao Market, Raj Mahal Road, Madan Zampa Road to Pattargate, R.C. Desai Road crossing, Kevdabagh and terminated somewhat earlier than usual this year at the Baroda High School, opposite the Polo Ground at around 6:30 PM.

A large kirtan party, headed by Thakurdas of ISKCON Chandigarh, performed ecstatic kirtan in front of Lord Jagannath’s Rath throughout the procession.  Bhakti Vikas Swami also led kirtan during the procession.

Hundreds of devotees greeted the Rath cart with traditional offerings of sweets, sprouted mung beans, and “kala jamun” fruit (a sweet sour large size purple berry fruit that is seasonal during Rathayatra, in Gujarat and much of India), mangos, coconuts, and flower garlands at various places throughout the procession.

Various groups greeted the cart, including prominent businessmen, several business associations, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Swami Bharat Maharaj of Santram Mandir, the Mahant of the Ramji Mandir on Madan Zampa Road, pujari and devotees of the Ganesh temple nearby Kevdabagh.

Muslim community leaders and members from Macchipeeth, Raopura, and Dudhwala gali near Nyaya Mandir, also greeted the Rathayatra, offering flower garlands to Their Lordships.

Behind the Rath, as has been the tradition all of these years, “halava” prasad was distributed from the back of trucks to the members of the public.

Annually ten thousand kilos of halava prasad is prepared in pure “deshi” ghee.

After the conclusion of the procession, back at ISKCON Baroda, a “bhandara” (open distribution of foodstuffs offered to the Lord) was organized.   Prasad was prepared for thirty thousand guests.

Full plate meals of prasad (bhojan) was distributed to the general public.  Prasad was prepared for thirty thousand, and consisted of puris, mixed subji (spiced vegetable preparation), chola (spiced chickpeas), kadi (spiced yoghurt sauce), rice, phul wadi (a savory made by deep frying spiced and sweetened chickpea flour), and halava to one and all.

Nityananda Ram Das, Vice President of ISKCON Baroda was the main organizer of the festival.  ISKCON Baroda congregational devotees, including IYF leaders Nartaka Gauranga Das, Damodar Chaitanya Das and the IYF devotees, Bhakti Vriksha leader Mantresh Gauranga Das and bhakti vriksha devotees participated in organization of the Rathayatra as well as book distribution throughout the procession.

Special thanks are due to Sri Dhirubhai Patel and his group as well as Sri Mayurbhai Shah for overseeing the “bhandara” prasad distribution.  Also thanks to Sri Gopal Shah of Dwarakesh Farsan, Baroda Railway Station, for organizing the preparation and distribution of halava prasad.  He has been doing this service almost since the inception of the Rathayatra.

Thanks to Sri T.R. Gaur of M/s. Dhruv Transport for help in repairing the Rath (cart).  The steering of the cart, which had broken down due to a cracked bearing last year, held up without a problem throughout the Rathayatra.

Special thanks to donors Sri Shivlal Goyal, Sri Dinesh Dalal, Sri Rajesh Agarwal, Sri Girish Chovatia, Sri Narendra Vyas, Sri Rasikbhai Kotak, Sri Kiran Patel, Sri Kamal Agarwal, Sri Manish Patel, Sri Purushottam and Sri Ramavatar Agarwal, Municipal Councilor Sri Chandrakant “Batu” Srivastav,  Smt. Chandrika Patel, and M/s. Dhuliram Pedawala.

Two new art panels installed in temple room

Two new relief art panels were recently mounted on the walls of the darshan mandap at ISKCON Baroda.

One (above), depicts Srimad Bhagavatam being recited by Shukadev Goswami (aka "Shuka Rishii" here in Gujarat) on the bank of the Ganga.

The other, below,  depicts the journey of the atma (soul) within the body from birth until dealth as narrated by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita (2.13).

New “relief art” picture panels installed at ISKCON Baroda

Govinda's Restaurant

Govinda's restaurant is located on the first floor, above the snack bar, gift shop and book stall, next to the road on the East side of Hare Krishna Land.

Govinda's restaurant is presently functioning for lunch and dinner, daily, every day!  Lunch timing are 11 AM to 3 PM and dinner from 6:30 PM to 10 PM.  Takeaways are available as well.

The "prasad snack bar", where many sumptous items are available daily from 5:00 PM until 9:00 (9:30-10:00 PM on Sundays and holidays) is located in the Northeast corner of Hare Krishna Land.  The samosas, alu (bataka) wadas, dahi wadas and gulab jamuns are famous throughout the town.  There are many other savories and sweets available daily there.