Under the inspiration of Srila Lokanath Swami Maharaj, a dear disciple of the Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the ISKCON Nagpur centre — Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple, Gate No. 2, behind Empress Mall, near Gandhi Sagar, Nagpur — is organizing the Krishna Janmashtami Mahotsav on 16th August 2025.
A preparatory meeting for the same was held in the temple premises, chaired by Dr. Shyamsundar Sharma, Chairman of Annamrita Foundation Nagpur and Head of the Public Relations & Communication Department of ISKCON Nagpur. The chief guest was Kanish Vadera from Amsterdam, Netherlands, along with his daughter Pavitra Vadera.
Also present on the stage were Festival Committee Heads Vishal Das and Venugopal Das, Dharma Putra Yudhishthir Das from the Accounts Department, and Sachitanay Gaur Prabhu from the Social Media Department. The stage was conducted by Venugopal Prabhu.
All speakers shared details of the Janmashtami celebrations, stating that this year the festival will be held in a waterproof pandal to be set up in the open area near the temple. The construction work for the pandal has begun at a rapid pace.
On 15th August, special darshan of the Lord in elaborate decoration will be available from 4:30 AM until midnight. On Janmashtami day, 16th August, the program will commence at 4:30 AM with Mangala Aarti, followed by Nrisimha Aarti at 5:00 AM and Tulasi Aarti at 5:15 AM. From then until 7:15 AM, there will be a congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra:
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.”
At 7:30 AM, Shringar Aarti, Guru Puja, and a discourse on the Srimad-Bhagavatam will take place. From 11:00 AM onwards, abhishek of the Lord will be performed throughout the day by various yajmans (devotee hosts).
Dr. Shyamsundar Sharma, ISKCON Nagpur spokesperson, informed that at 5:00 PM, the pandal program will begin with kirtan of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra by devotees. After welcoming the special guests, cultural programs will be presented, including: Radhamadhavam (Bharatanatyam), Radha Gori Gori Dance, Yashomati Nandan Dance, Dashavatar Drama + Dance, Radha Raman Hari Govind Dance, Krishna – The Glory of India (Thematic Dance), Janma Badhai Utsav, Gangs of Vrindavan, The Second Chance, Krishnaleela Dance, etc.
Simultaneously, abhishek of the Lord will commence by various guests and yajmans. The celebration will conclude at midnight with the Lord’s Maha Aarti and offering of 56 Bhog items.
To make this program a success, the following devotees are contributing their efforts: Sachidanand Prabhu, Hari Kirtan Prabhu, Vrajendra Tanay Prabhu, Prannath Prabhu, Aaradhya Bhagwan Prabhu, Vishal Prabhu, Sri Pandharinath Prabhu, Paramkaruna Prabhu, Sadhnabhakti Mataji, Venugopal Prabhu, Sanjay Gupta Prabhu, Kishan Dave Prabhu, Dhiraj Agarwal Prabhu, Ashish Khandelwal Prabhu, Gaur Prasad Prabhu, Shantanu Prabhu, and others.
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com