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Hans India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
City celebrates ‘Krishnashtami' with devotional fervour
Visakhapatnam: The city soaked in festive spirit as Krishna temples celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami organising various events for close to three days consecutively in Visakhapatnam. ISKCON celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami with great pomp at the ISKCON temple in Sagar Nagar, Visakhapatnam. As part of the second day of the festivities, mangala aarti, chanting of Harinama, Annamayya kirtans, maha abhishekam with water collected from holy rivers, among other activities, were held. Nitai Seveni Mataji and president of ISKCON Samba Das Prabhu preached Krishna Leela. The idols of Sri Radha, Damodar were decorated with silken robes sourced from Vrindavan and fresh flowers from different parts of the country. The premises witnessed a beehive of activity as thousands of devotees from the people of Visakhapatnam and surrounding areas visited. Traffic congestion was seen at Sagarnagar as many visited the temple. A special Harinama mandapam was set up so that the ardent devotees chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra 108 times before the darshan. Utlotsavam organised in the evening saw participation of thousands of children. Dance competitions and other contests engaged them. Adding to the spiritual fervour, the Hare Krishna Movement in Visakhapatnam celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami at Gadiraju Palace. Following an elaborate abhishekam that commenced at 6 am on Saturday, Sri Bala Gopala and Sri Radha Madan Mohan deities were decked up impressively on the occasion. Organised under the leadership of Niskinchana Bhakta Dasa, president of Hare Krishna Movement, Visakhapatnam, the event saw a number of activities. He explained the spiritual significance of Sri Krishna Janmashtami. Here, devotees took part in performing abhishekam to the idols. Thousands of devotees availed the darshan and participated in Julan Seva. Cultural programmes were organised on the occasion. Artistes from Sri Dwaram Thyagaraja Group, Chaitanya Brothers, students from Vidyadhari Music School performed programmes. Utti Mahotsavam, selfie with Krishna, sport the differences, Krishna quiz were the other programmes that entertained the audience. On Sunday, the movement is organising 'Vyasa puja' and 'Nandotsavam'. At One Town Area, the festival celebration reached a crescendo as Arya Vysya Yuvajana Sangham organised programmes on the occasion. Pendurthi MLA and JSP Visakhapatnam rural president Panchakarla Ramesh witnessed various festival activities by visiting temples in the constituency. At Abhayanjaneya temple in the 39th ward, 'annadanam' was served to the devotees. Visakhapatnam south constituency MLA Vamsi Krishna Srinivas Yadav took part in the programme. The MLA highlighted that annually, Krishnashtami is celebrated with fervour in Visakhapatnam. 'Such festivals hold great significance in Hindu traditions and unites people of all sections,' he underlined. As schools declared holiday for the occasion, some of the educational institutions celebrated the day in advance. Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar celebrated the festival with devotional fervour. Bhajans, dance performances, pot-breaking activity, among others, were organised on the occasion. Students, dressed as Radha and Krishna, took part in various devotional programmes organised on the campus. At Vignan's Institute of Information Technology, the festival was celebrated in a grand manner. The importance of Lord Krishna's birth was explained to the students. Institute's Rector V Madhusudan Rao, Principal J Sudhakar, and students took part in the pot-breaking exercise. The Principal and Rector exhorted the students to draw inspiration from the verses of Bhagavad Gita and tread a righteous path. As part of the festivities, SR Digi School students took part in various programmes. Dressed in thematic attire, students celebrated 'Krishnastami' with fervour. Headmistress Y Padmaja, and other teachers took part in the festival programmes. The campus of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Public School transformed into a 'little Vrundavan' as it celebrated Krishnashtami on August 14th. Dressed up as Radha and Krishna along with other characters, students of kindergarten joined the celebrations which included cradling of Krishna, playing of flute, singing devotional songs, pot-breaking activity and arranging the campus with butter pots and other related festive decors that largely focused on yellow as the colour theme.
India.com
26-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Bangladesh Rath Yatra 2025: ISKCON to host nine-day festival, first big event after Chinmoy Das controversy, check routes and timings
Bangladesh Rath Yatra 2025: ISKCON to host nine-day festival, first big event after Chinmoy Das controversy, check routes and timings The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) will celebrate the traditional nine-day Rath Yatra festival of Sri Sri Jagannath Dev in Bangladesh with tight security in place. An ISKCON priest said the celebrations in Dhaka will begin on Friday. 'Rath Yatra is one of the most important festivals in Sanatan Dharma. Like every year, ISKCON has planned many events in Dhaka to mark the occasion,' the priest shared. He also said that Rath Yatra is a festival full of devotion, peace, and the joyful chanting of Harinama (God's name). The event will begin on Friday, June 27, at 3:00 PM. Bangladesh Rath Yatra routes As per ISKCON's announcement, the chariot will travel through several key areas in Dhaka, including ISKCON Swamibag Ashram, Joykali Temple, Ittefaq Intersection, Shapla Chattar, Dainik Bangla Intersection, near Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Paltan Intersection, Press Club, Kadam Foara, High Court Shrine, Doel Chattar, Shaheed Minar, Jagannath Hall, Palasi Intersection, and finally reach the Dhakeshwari Temple. The return journey will take place on Saturday, July 5, at the same time, and the chariot will come back to Swamibag Temple using the same route in reverse. The Dhaka Traffic Police has asked people to avoid these roads from 2 PM to 6 PM on both June 27 and July 5. Police have assured that enough security arrangements have been made to ensure the Rath Yatra procession takes place smoothly and safely. Arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Tensions between India and Bangladesh have grown since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from power last year. The new leader, Muhammad Yunus, has made several remarks against India, which led to strong responses from New Delhi. During this period, Chinmoy Krishna Das, a prominent religious figure, was arrested in Bangladesh. A case was filed against him and 18 others at the Kotwali police station in Chattogram on October 30 last year, accusing them of showing disrespect to the national flag of Bangladesh. He serves as the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote. His arrest led to widespread protests by his followers across Dhaka and other parts of the country. In Chattogram, the protest took a violent turn when Assistant Government Prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif was killed in a knife attack, just hours after Das was sent to jail. Later, on April 30, Chinmoy Krishna Das was granted bail. Chinmoy Das has actively spoken out in support of major changes, such as introducing a law to protect minorities, setting up special courts to fast-track cases related to minority persecution, and forming a separate ministry to handle minority affairs. Originally from Satkania Upazila in Chittagong, he became well known at a young age for his powerful religious speeches, earning the title 'Shishu Bokta' or 'child speaker.' From 2016 to 2022, Chinmoy Das worked as the divisional secretary for ISKCON in Chittagong, a branch of the Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition. However, he was removed from the position in 2024.
