Please accept my most humble obeisancesAll glories to Srila Prabhupada
To our great and pleasant surprise more than 60.000 people came to visit our Sri Sri Radha Gopal ISKCON temple in Aravade on the 1 year inauguration festival which was heldon the 26th-27th and 28th of January.For those of you who attended the opening festival in Aravade you can recognize the term "and ocean of people".We chose the 26th, which is also the republic day of India, because it is a public holyday but at 10 o'clock am when our festival started there was not a soul in sight and we thought "Oh no, it is a great mistake that we have chosen this date" but by Krishna arrangement only a few hours later the temple was invaded by thousands of visitors and it was a fantastic experience to celebrate this auspicious event together with so many people. It was literarily an ocean of people and the mood was just so beautiful and mellow. The kirtans on stage and the combined preaching efforts of H.H.candra Mauli Swami, H.H.Bhakti Raghava Swami, H.H.Paramgati Swami and H.H.Lokanath swami, the drama and the abhisekha had full impact on the crowd and everyone was in bliss.We served 60.000 plates of prasadam and many of the local politicians and press reporters spend most of their day with us.27th and 28th was days for ISKCON devotees from all over the world. We went on a pilgrimage to visit Narasimhadeva and had many many beautiful programs in the temple throughout the 28th like Abhisakha of Sri Sri Radha Gopal and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Deep uttsava and off course a huge feast.What was unique about this year's festival was that we, the 20 Aravade devotees, tried to handle the show on our own. Last year we had invaluable help from ISKCON Pune, ISKCON Tirupati, ISKCON Belgaum and ISKCON Juhu. But this year we were not expecting more than 20.000 thousand peoples so we thought "No problem" we can do it. So it became really really intens when 60.000 showed up and we where stretch to the max but somehow or other we did not snap.So now we are just lying low and resting but we all fell that this festival was really special because so much interest in Sri Sri Radha Gopal was there and because it became such beautiful days.H.H.lokanath Swami has already set the date for the 2 year Inauguration festival here in ISKCON Aravade which will be on the 26th of January 2011. So please book this date already now and come and join us for the next event here which will actually not be a festival but a mela. We have, due to thegrand success here, plans to expand the festival with many aspects next year.Look forward to see you all.Hare KrishnaYour servants in ISKCON Aravadeposted by Gaura Krishna Dasa
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