ISKCON Nagpur celebrates Janmashtami with devotion and grandeur

Nagpur: The Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple of ISKCON Nagpur (Gate No.2, behind Empress Mall, Gandhi Sagar) witnessed a grand celebration of Sri Krishna Janmashtami in a devotional atmosphere filled with joy and enthusiasm. The temple was beautifully adorned with flowers, lights, and spiritual displays, while enactments of Jharkhand Leela and Vrindavan Leela enthralled devotees.Over one lakh devotees participated throughout the day, taking darshan and experiencing the spirit of devotion. The festival was held under the inspiration of ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's disciple, Srila Lokanath Swami Maharaj. Commissioner of police Ravinder Singal was the chief guest while DCP (Rural) Deepak Agrawal was special guest.Singal performed panchamrit abhishek of Sri Radha-Krishna and interacted with ISKCON Youth Forum volunteers, appreciating their dedication to a lifestyle free from intoxicants, including tea and coffee. He remarked that ISKCON's mission closely aligns with anti-addiction initiatives, informed Dr Shyamsunder Sharma, spokesperson of ISKCON Nagpur.The celebrations included cultural programmes featuring Bharatanatyam, devotional dances, thematic performances, and Krishna Leela enactments, choreographed and presented by members of ISKCON Girls Forum and Gopal Garden. Anchored by Preeti Sengupta, the presentations drew wide appreciation.Harikirtan Prabhu emphasised ISKCON's commitment to imparting moral and spiritual education through the Bhagavad Gita, highlighting the upcoming IVCC temple at Kotewada.At midnight, the grand maha aarati and offering of 56 bhogas marked the divine appearance of Lord Krishna amidst ecstatic kirtan. The festival was made successful by the dedicated service of Sachidananda Prabhu, Harikirtan Prabhu, Vrajendra Tanay Prabhu, Prannath Prabhu, Aradhya Bhagavan Prabhu, Vishal Prabhu, Shripandharinath Prabhu, Param Karuna Prabhu, Sadhana Bhakti Mataji, Venugopal Prabhu, Sanjay Gupta Prabhu, Kishan Dave Prabhu, Dhiraj Agrawal Prabhu, Ashish Khandelwal Prabhu, Gaur Prasad Prabhu, Shantanu Prabhu, and many others.