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ISKCON
Idols of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings were placed inside their chariots in front of the new temple in West Bengal's Digha town, where the Rath Yatra will begin in a few hours on Friday. All other preparations for the festival are in full swing, while the administration is ready to conduct the event smoothly, an official said. "The idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were put up in their chariots kept near the main temple gate as the sibling deities were being decked up for their annual sojourn to their aunt's place," International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Vice President Radharanan Das told PTI. As part of the festival, the three chariots will be taken out from the temple around 2:30 pm, and the entire journey will be over by 4 pm, officials said. The sweeping of the 750 km route of the Rath Yatra by a golden broom will begin at 1:45 pm. Accompanied by monks of the temple and others, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will per
Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee in Odisha's Puri has written to the ISKCON, urging it to ensure that Lord Jagannath's ceremonial bathing rituals and the Rath Yatra across the world are performed on the specific date sanctioned by scriptures and not to violate traditions. Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb of Puri, the chairman of the committee, expressed displeasure over some of the ISKCON temples across the world performing the sacred bathing rituals ('Snana Yatra') and the Rath Yatra on various dates, and alleged that such practices "violate the scriptures and the Hindu calendar". In a letter to Shree Govardhan Das Prabhu, chairman of ISKCON Governing Body Commission, Mayapur, Deb said, I request your good self to ensure that no ISKCON temple or centre anywhere in the world performs the 'Snana Yatra' or 'Ratha Yatra' of Lord Shree Jagannath on a date/tithi not sanctioned by scriptures and traditions." Deb also claimed that the temples of the ISKCON authorities outside Ind
The Supreme Court on Friday held that the Hare Krishna temple in Bengaluru belongs to the ISKCON Society in the city. The top court allowed the plea of ISKCON Bangalore challenging a Karnataka High Court order that ruled in favour of ISKCON Mumbai over control of the iconic Hare Krishna temple and educational complex in Bengaluru. A bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Augustine George Masih delivered the verdict. ISKCON Bangalore had moved the top court on June 2, 2011 challenging the high court's verdict of May 23, 2011. In the plea, ISKCON Bangalore, represented by its office-bearer Kodandarama Dasa, contested the high court judgment that overturned a 2009 order of a local court in Bengaluru. The trial court had earlier ruled in favour of ISKCON Bangalore, recognising its legal title and granting a permanent injunction against ISKCON Mumbai. However, the high court reversed this ruling and upheld a counterclaim by ISKCON Mumbai, effectively granting them control over the ...
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), in partnership with the Adani Group, is providing meals to nearly one lakh people daily at the ongoing Maha Kumbh, a spiritual organisation's official said. At a camp on Harshvardhan Marg here, ISKCON's one kitchen prepares food for 30,000 - 35,000 people in one session, and more than one lakh people are served food in three sessions a day, its Director (CSR) Madhukant Das told PTI. ISKCON's food -- which includes dal, chole or rajma, vegetables and roti and rice, and halwa or boondi laddu in sweets-- is completely balanced. These meals are prepared on a clay stove over a fire of wood and cow dung cakes, which makes them taste amazing, he added. Das said meals are being distributed at 40 centres across Prayagraj, including bus stands, railway stations and several holding areas, where the crowd of devotees are halted on the main bathing days. He also informed that the food is also being distributed to 15,000 employees ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asserted India's spiritual culture is deeply rooted in the spirit of service and his government has been working selflessly for people's welfare for more than a decade. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating an ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, Modi, who assumed office for a third time in June last year, emphasised his government has launched a slew of welfare measures like building toilets, homes for the poor and providing LPG connections and medical insurance to citizens. "This spirit of service brings true social justice and is a symbol of true secularism. The main foundation of our spiritual culture is the spirit of service. India is not just a piece of land surrounded by geographical boundaries. It is a living land, living culture. Knowledge is spirituality and if we want to understand India, we have to imbibe spirituality," he underlined in his speech. He said followers of ..
The Adani Group and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) have joined hands to serve meals to devotees at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj this year. The Mahaprasad Seva will be offered for the entire duration of the Maha Kumbh Mela, from January 13 to February 26. To thank ISKCON for this initiative, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani on Thursday met Guru Prasad Swami, the Chairman of ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC). Speaking about ISKCON's support in offering the Mahaprasad Seva, Adani said, "Kumbh is a sacred place of seva, where every devotee gets involved in the name of seva to God. It is my good fortune that we are starting the 'Mahaprasad Seva' for the devotees at the Maha Kumbh in collaboration with ISKCON. "With the blessings of Maa Annapurna, free food will be provided to lakhs of devotees. Today, I got the opportunity to meet Guru Prasad Swami ji of ISKCON and I deeply experienced the power of dedication towards seva. In the true sense, seva
ISKCON Kolkata on Friday said its followers will continue holding prayers till normalcy returns in Bangladesh, where Hindus and other religious minorities have been facing atrocities since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Kolkata, has been holding daily prayers at its Albert Road centre here for over a month for the safety and security of religious minorities in Bangladesh, and the release of jailed Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and other monks in the neighbouring country. "We will continue with our daily prayers for the minorities in Bangladesh till normalcy returns there," ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das said. "Devotees are very anxious as to what the future holds for the minorities in Bangladesh," he told PTI. He said the devotees were, however, hopeful that Chinmoy Krishna Das will get justice before the high court in Bangladesh, challenging a Chittagong court order denying bail to ...
The current and evolving situation in Bangladesh is unlikely to trigger a fresh round of exodus of minority Hindus into India, Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Banerjee said. Historically, the academic explained, migration is mainly driven by social networks and economic opportunities, rather than persecution, even in the context of the crisis faced by minorities in Bangladesh. Speaking exclusively to PTI during his recent visit to the city to participate in a curtain-raiser event of the 16th edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, where his latest title Chhaunk: On Food, Economics and Society' was launched, Banerjee said he felt India's "explicit political preference for Hindu migrants from Bangladesh" is what prompted the population to leave their homeland in the past, rather than the attacks on the community. "People always leave for another country where they have their families or to a richer nation where the economic opportunities are higher," the Nobel laureate said
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Saturday alleged that its centre in Dhaka district in neighbouring Bangladesh was burnt down earlier in the day. Iskcon Kolkata vice president Radharamn Das told PTI that the targetted attack on members of the community and members of the Vaishnavite order goes on unabated as "vandals set ablaze idols inside the temple at the Namhatta property." He said in a post on X handle, "ISKCON Namhatta Centre burned down in Bangladesh. The deities of Sri Sri Laxmi Narayan and all items inside the temple were burned down completely The centre is located in Dhaka. Early morning today, between 2-3 AM, miscreants set fire to the Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple and the Shri Shri Mahabhagya Lakshmi Narayan Temple, which fall under the Hare Krishna Namhatta Sangha, located in Dhour village, under the jurisdiction of Turag Police Station, Dhaka district." "The fire was initiated by lifting the tin roof at the back of the temple and using
