Patna: Elaborate arrangements are underway at Iskcon Temple here for the grand celebration of Janmashtami on Sept 4, with the temple set to remain open from 4.30am to 1am. The celebrations will feature non-stop ‘kirtan’, special rituals, devotional performances and an elaborate ‘abhishek’ of Lord Radha-Krishna. Around eight tonnes of flowers have been brought from Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata and abroad for decorating the temple.The temple authorities have made arrangements for devotees and special guests to participate in the ‘abhishek’ ceremony from 10am to 6pm. This year, the temple’s floral decoration is expected to be a major attraction, with a special Phool Bangla being prepared. Devotees will also be provided ‘prasadam’ throughout the day.Raman Manohar Das, co-chairperson of the Iskcon Temple Management Council, said, “At midnight, following the appearance of Lord Krishna, a ‘maha aarti’ will be performed. Devotees will witness a presentation depicting the divine pastimes of Lord Krishna. The deity will be given a grand ‘abhishek’ using water from thousands of rivers and ‘panchgavya’, with the ritual performed using 108 ‘kalash’. More than 256 varieties of dishes will also be offered to Lord Krishna as ‘bhog’.”The festivities will begin ahead of Janmashtami, with a Kirtan Mela from Aug 30 to Sept 2. The entire programme will also be livestreamed on the official channel of Iskcon Patna.A special ‘maha arti’ will be conducted simultaneously at all four altars of the temple.Radha Pati Charan Das, a member of the Iskcon Temple Management Council, said, “Chief minister Samrat Choudhary is scheduled to arrive around 3pm on Sept 4 to inaugurate the celebrations and perform a special ‘abhishek’ of Radha-Krishna. Governor, Syed Ata Hasnain, will also attend the programme and address devotees at the temple hall.”It will be the first time that the governor and CM will be present together at Iskcon temple for the Janmashtami celebrations, according to temple authorities.To manage the expected rush, devotees will enter the temple from the BSNL office side. They will not be allowed to stay inside the temple premises after ‘darshan’. The system has been designed to ensure that devotees enter in an orderly manner, have ‘darshan’ and exit the premises without unnecessary congestion.Barricading has been installed from GPO round to the temple premises to facilitate smooth movement and darshan. Devotees will enter through designated queues and proceed for ‘darshan’.More than 150 CCTV cameras have been installed across the temple premises to monitor security and prevent any untoward incident. Temple authorities have also appealed to devotees to make their own arrangements for the safety of their footwear before entering the temple.According to TMC member Venu Vinod Das, noted singer Priya Malik will present devotional songs and programmes based on the life and devotion of Lord Krishna.“The celebrations will continue on Sept 5, when Iskcon will observe the birth anniversary of its founder-acharya, A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Ji, who established the Iskcon and began its global movement from the United States,” he said.On Sept 5, the temple authorities have also arranged ‘mahaprasadam’ for more than 20,000 devotees.
