Events

Diwali (Deepawali) Festival of Lights - Candle-light Aarti Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Ramachandra to Ayodhya. You all know the history of how Rama was banished from His kingdom into the forest. In the forest Ravana kidnapped Sita and took her to Lanka. Then Rama and Lakshmana searched for Sita. They made alliances with many monkey warriors, and eventually They came to the southern tip of India. They built a bridge across to Lanka, and eventually Rama killed Ravana, which is commemorated by Dussehra, or Rama-vijaya-dasami. Then Mother Sita was tested in fire, and she emerged pure. Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita, accompanied by other associates, returned to Ayodhya. So the residents of Ayodhya, to prepare for the Lord’s arrival, placed lamps on the rooftops and balconies–and celebrated His return. Then Lord Ramachandra was installed on the throne. So we also want to welcome Lord Rama (Lord Krishna) into our hearts. Just as we clean the temple before we install the Deity so that the temple is a fit place for the Lord to reside, similarly we each want to welcome Lord Ramachandra into our heart, to install Him on the throne in our heart. But to make our heart […]

Happy New Year - Govardhan Puja - Go Puja - Go Krda The tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam relates many of Krishna’s pastimes. Of these, “The Lifting of Govardhan Hill” is one of our most important. It tells the story of how Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill in Vrindavan for seven days and seven nights, balancing it on the tip of his small finger and thus providing a huge umbrella under which all the residents and animals of Vrindavan could find shelter from the devastating rainstorm sent by Lord Indra (god of rain and king of heaven) upon their village. When Lord Indra realized that only the Supreme Lord could defeat him in such a mystical way, he surrendered to Krishna. Traditionally, this festival is celebrated by cooking large amounts of food offerings for the Deities. It is called Anna (grains) Kuta (mountain) and takes place on the day after Diwali. Simply called "Mountains of Food Festival" - we encourage everyone to prepare bhoga and bring before 6 PM. All bhogas are prepared without garlic, onion, mushroom, chocolate by using clean containers since these items are offered on the altar. Kirtan & Aarti Abhisekh (Sri Giriraj Govardhan) Discourse Annakut Darshan Sunday School […]