New ISKCON Temple Opens in Bengaluru, to serve as a Spiritual & Cultural Centre
ISKCON has brought great joy to the devotees of Sri Krishna by executing the inauguration ceremony of Sri Sri Radha Vinoda Temple & Cultural Centre (ICC) which also houses the shrines of Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladev & Srimati Subhadra Mai, Sri Sri Gaura Sundara Nityananda Natavara at Kumaraswamy Layout, Bangalore. A separate altar has been dedicated for Srila Prabhupada, where his murti is installed.
Sri Sri Radha Vinoda
Sri Sri Jagannath Baladeva & Srimati Subhadra Mai
Sri Sri Gaura Sundara Nityananda Natavara
ISKCON Founder Acharya His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
A large hall is designed for devotees to comfortably have the darshan of their Lordships. The campus also provides spiritual and cultural education for children, youth, and families. There’s also a Multipurpose Cultural Hall that is dedicated for Lectures, Kirtans, Festivals, Conventions, & other functions.
The Divine Temple Opening Ceremony:
- Invocation by the Girls forum of ISKCON South Bengaluru
- Address by HH Bhakti Vinoda Swami
- Address by the Member of Parliament Sri Tejasvi Surya
- Address by HH Jayapataka Swami
- Address by the Honourable Governor of Karnataka Sri Thawar Chand Gehlot
- Vote of thanks by Srinidhi Govind Das
The event started and ended with the Indian National Anthem.
Invocation- An invocation prayer was sung by the youth girls of the temple. The prayers sung were verses 1 and 30 from the fifth chapter of the Brahma Samhita, Verses 3 and 6 of Sri Shikshashtakam, and verse 5 from Sri Jagannathashtakam.
Indian Member of Parliament Sri Tejasvi Surya addressed the august audience of devotees and public by paying respects to all assembled dignitaries and went on to congratulate everyone for the inauguration of the temple. He spoke about the rich culture of South India, especially Bengaluru. Bengaluru is a city which is decorated with multiple temples, and this temple, he said was an important addition to the spiritual capital. He then appreciated ISKCON for being the true pioneers of globalization and the spirit of unity amid differences in nationality, gender, race, religion, and political ideology. ISKCON’s role in offering food and shelter to people in times of need was highlighted by him quoting the movement’s involvement in ensuring safety of Indian students, among others, stranded in Ukraine in early 2022. He ended by speaking about the importance of temples in achieving a peaceful mind in the anxiety ridden world we live in, and about the universality of Sanatana dharma.
HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj addressed by chanting the pranam mantras of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He thanked the Governor and the MP for gracing the occasion of the temple inauguration. In continuation with the MP Sri Tejasvi Surya’s point of the universality of Sanatana Dharma, He said that He was raised in a family of devout Christians. He continued by talking about how the idea of inclusivity is important in ISKCON. He said that Bengaluru is a very important city in India and that He envisions it to be the spiritual capital of India. He ended by requesting for the government’s cooperation for spreading Harinam all across Bengaluru and giving His special blessings- “Krishna Matir Astu” to the Governor and the MP.
The Honourable Governor Sri Thawar Chand Gehlot started his address by appreciating HDG Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada for making His Spiritual Master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada’s order to preach the message of Sanatana dharma all around the world His life’s mission. He then recognized the dedication of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj for taking Sannyasa at the young age of 21 and completely dedicating His life to follow in the footsteps of His Spiritual Master. He spoke about how ISKCON is vital to maintain the pillars of society - Education and Community Development. He emphasized that the worldwide reach of ISKCON helped bring meaning to the commonly quoted Sanskrit phrase Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. The Governor ended his address by congratulating the participants on the opening of the new temple and encouraged them to further preach the gospel of Sanatana Dharma to ensure universal peace and brotherhood – "sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ"
The Vedic temple opening ceremony started on 27th Sept and continued to 1st October 2023. The Vedic rituals of deity installation were led by the Deity Ministry headed by Sheetalanga Das & Seva Atula Das along with other priests on the 27th, 28th and 29th of September 2023. It is estimated that 2000-3000 devotees from all over Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and nearby places participated in the temple inaugural festival. There were book tables with publications of ISKCON BBT, HH Bhanu Swami & HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami and stalls having devotional paraphernalia for the devotees & visitors. Over 12,000 plates of prasadam were distributed throughout the day among the devotees attending the festival
The community & congregation of the temple devotees had the association of:
HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj – GBC & Guru,
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj – GBC,
HH Sukadeva Swami Maharaj – President ISKCON Nellore,
HH Bhakti Vinoda Swami Maharaj – SIDC Chairman,
HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami Maharaj – President ISKCON Belgaum,
HH Bhakti Prachar Parivrajak Swami Maharaj – Chairman ISKCON BMV,
HG Revati Raman Das – GBC Chairman,
HG Samba Das – President ISKCON Vishakhapatnam,
HG Shankadhari Das – General Secretary ISKCON Bureau,
HG Pundarikaksha Govinda Das – ISKCON Global Duty Officer,
HG Sumitra Krishna Das – President ISKCON Chennai,
HG Varada Krishna Das – President ISKCON SNGM Bangalore, among other ISKCON devotee Leaders.
The temple witnessed the Maha Sammelana by the presence of multiple Sannyasis and senior devotees. Ecstatic kirtans were sung throughout the day by melodious singers. On the evening of the 30th, there were cultural activities by the children of ICC Congregation.
The Prana Prathishta of the deities had been conducted strictly as per the agama shastras by senior and learned priests HG Sheetalanga Das & HG Seva Atula Das from ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry. The Vedic ceremonies that started on 28th September & continued till the end of the month. Hence, the temple was to be fully open to the public from 1st October.
ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Vinoda Mandir & Cultural Centre
The ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Vinoda Mandir & Cultural Centre will serve the needs of the people of South Bengaluru and its surroundings by providing devotional opportunities for them to showcase their devotional talents and by launching courses on shastra & scriptural learnings, cultural modules, & other programs to the public. ISKCON ICC will also promote social progress through teaching spiritual solutions to the myriad of problems that are faced by the society today including war, poverty, environmental degradation, racial and sectarian strife.
The Temple Complex will also house a Vedic library with the purpose of providing free and easy access to the teachings of Krishna consciousness, as presented by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The library will contain a vast collection of books, articles, audio and video recordings, and other resources on a wide range of topics that will help people learn about and experience Krishna consciousness, or to the ones who are simply looking for a place to find spiritual inspiration.
The previous shelter of the divine siblings Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladeva & Srimati Subhadra Mai will become a Convention Hall for promoting cultural activities.
The temple is currently planning to expand its preaching activities over a 5 km radius.
The inauguration of the ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Vinoda Mandir & Cultural Centre in South Bengaluru is a significant milestone for the propagation of the Krishna Consciousness Movement in India & around the globe. ICC will serve as a place for devotees to worship, learn, and grow in their spiritual practice. It will also be a place for the public to learn about the Krishna Conscious philosophy and culture which will be open to anyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or any other factor.
Temple directions: maps.app.goo.gl/cqgmMAeYPK4NMtXMA
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