Vrinda Kunda Fest Parikrama Schedule
By Deena Bandhu dasa
Next month will be 9 years since we opened our Vrinda Kunda Temple! To celebrate we will do special parikramas to the Holy Places of Braja. The program will culminate with our famous Kalash Yatra, an ecstatic Sankirtan procession with the ladies carrying water pots with coconuts on their heads. Programs will be going on from 4-19 Feb with the main parikrama days between 8 and 19.
All the festival dates are early this year when the weather is best and the Vrindavan Festival after Gaura Purnima is usually quite hot! One year, a devotee told me that he never knew there was so nice weather in Vrindavan. Better to come to Vrindavan first, and then go on to Mayapur Festival and leave after Gaura Purnima when it starts to get hot! And our festival ends with plenty of time to reach for Mayapur Festival which starts on 22nd Feb and Navadvipa Mandal Parikrama which starts on 26th Feb!
We will leave almost every morning from Krishna Balaram Mandir by bus and go on parikrama to different pastime places of Braja. There will be lively narrations of the different pastimes that happened in each place. Then we will return in time for lunch prasadam in the temple. And on all bus parikramas, Sannyasis and Prabhupada Disciples and their families will go free of charge.
Then on Sunday 19th Feb., we will be having the super ecstatic Kalash Yatra and sankirtan procession around Nandagrama. Kalash means water pot. All the ladies will carry water pots of water from the sacred Pavana Sarovara with colorful cloth and coconuts on top. We’ll have 108 pots and the Brijbasi ladies will train our foreign lady devotees how to carry them. Even some of our own ladies who go every year will train them! The Brijbasinis even dance with no hands with their pots on their heads! All the ladies who have participated told me it was the highlight of their Vrindavan experience. That day is free for everyone!
After reaching at Vrinda Kunda, there will be Krishna Katha, butter churning festival, artika and then feast for one and all. Then everyone can help feed all the Nandagram Brijbasis. That day all transportation and prasad will be free for all who come.
So start planning now to come relish wonderful Vaisnava association in the Holy Dhama. Especially for those who are going to the Anniversary Festivals at Tirupati, Ujjain, and Aravade on Nityananda Trayodasi and are wondering what to do till Mayapur Festival starts, most of our parikramas will take place after Nityananda Trayodasi.
Parikrama Schedule
4th Vrinda Kunda (lunch at Vrinda Kunda)
5th Nityananda Trayodasi Festival in the Temple
6th Harer Nama Procession around Vrindavan from Sringar Vat
7th Narottama’s App. Feast at Radha Vraja Mohan Mandir
8th Vrindavan Temples
9th Radha Kunda - Kusum Sarovara
11th Govardhana Parikrama (lunch at Uddhava Kunda)
12th Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s Vyasa Puja
13rd Javat - Ter Kadamba - Vrinda Kunda (lunch at Vrinda Kunda)
14th Barsana
16th Man Sarovar, Bhandirvan, Baelvan
17th Raval Gokula
19th Vrinda Kunda Festival (feast at Vrinda Kunda) Free
Even after that there will still be some parikramas and a very special event that only happens every 12 years! At Sringara Vat, also known as Nityananda Vat, there will be special ceremonies called Anuraga, remaking of the Deities, culminating with the instalation of new Deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai on 6th March!
For your travel needs as well as assistance for booking accommodation in outside guesthouses you can contact Krishna Balarama Das at our Information Center at or +91 5653207578.
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