Govardhan (AU, DJ): On Friday the Giriraj Seva Trust will hold a special event with Chapann Bhog at the foot of Giri Govardhan. All preparations have been made and are ready. The site of the event is next to Pandit Gaya Prasadji’s Samadhi, where a 40 foot high waterproof pandal has been set up.
Trust founding member Om Prakash Agrawal said, “We have decorated the route all the way from the Dan Ghati up to the event site, so that the route resembles a valley of flowers! We also had five flower festooned gates constructed to welcome the devotees.”
“We had chrysanthemums, rai-bel and mogra brought in from Calcutta, and rajnigandha, kunda and other flowers from Bangaluru. Garlands made with these especially fragrant flowers were used to decorate the pandal and altar. Decorations completed by Wednesday night after three days of round-the-clock effort. The fragrance is overpowering,” he added.
“The Govardhan shila has been dressed and decorated in a particularly charming fashion for the event, with diamonds and emeralds.”
The devotees of Giriraj have been holding this function for the last 14 years. Special guest Sankariya Baba has come from Shri Nathdwar for the occasion. On Friday, a special evening of bhajan songs will be held, featuring many stars from the T-Series Label, the most prominent publisher and distributor of music in north India.
The annual festival celebrating the Sharadiya Rasa Purnima, began on Tuesday with an abhishek of Govardhan at Anyaur village. The principal yajman was Pradeep Agrawal of the Shri Group. He and thousands of other devotees then did parikrama around Govardhan with loud Harinam sankirtan, accompanied by instruments and calling out of sacred slogans. They stopped at all the main temples on the Parikrama Marg and offered obeisance and glorifications to the deities.
Chappan bhoga will be given on Friday, the 22nd. Feast organizers say that even if hundreds of thousands of people come, they will all get prasad. Sadhus and sants will be fed at the Karshni Ashram.
This is also called “the White Moonlight” festival, or dhawal chandni. This is one reason why white cloth, lighting and flowers have been given special priority.
As a side note, Commonwealth Games gold medal winner Anuraj Singh came to Govardhan and was warmly greeted by Shri Group manager Sudeep Agrawal. “He has brought glory to India at the Games by winning gold in shooting,” said Agrawal.
