Aravade Temple opening

[cos...@gmail.com]

By HH Lokanath Swami

Dear devotees

This is an invitation to all of you to come to our new ISKCON Temple
in my birthplace (Aravade, Maharashtra, India), on the auspicious
occasion of Sri Nityananda Trayodasi, to welcome Their Lordships Sri-
Sri Radha-Gopal on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of February 2009.

The inspiration for this project is a statement Srila Prabhupada made
to me in a letter dated July 30, 1977. After I gave a report to him
about the Second Annual Hare Krishna Utsav at Aravade. Srila
Prabhupada wrote: “You should train one farmer from your native
village so that he can actually become an ISKCON representative
there.”

The Hare Krishna Utsav has been celebrated yearly for the last 31
years in Aravade, with more than 20,000 villagers attending it. Seeing
the potential, we embarked on developing the “Hare Krishna Gram
Project” as an effort to enhance “simple living and high thinking–” a
life close to purity, to the earth, to fresh air, and to fresh water.
We can enhance this kind of life further by giving the people in
general a higher taste of Krishna consciousness, so that people,
especially the village youth, will stay in their natural environment
and not opt for the artificial life of the city. Prabhupada wrote to
me, “The whole of India, and specifically your Maharashtra, are
enthused by Krishna. Now you have to revive their Krishna
consciousness. This is Tukaram’s country, but now they are becoming
bad politicians. So revive them by the process of the sankirtana
movement.”

This temple project is a very humble step towards achieving Srila
Prabhupada’s vision. We will highly appreciate and be grateful for
your auspicious presence on this blessed event of welcoming Sri-Sri
Radha-Gopal in Aravade—the first step towards “Simple living and high
thinking.”

Your ever well-wisher, Lokanath Swami

For photo’s and more info please visit: lokanathswami. com

SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE FESTIVAL

• It is an opportunity to associate with twenty ISKCON sannyasis, and
a number of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, and gurus–all under one roof
at one time.

You will experience: • the wonderful, pure village life— “simple
living and high thinking;” • the bliss of bhajans and kirtans with
some of the very best kirtaneers in the world;

• a unique Krishna tattva-darshan diorama exhibition specially
targeted for school children; • the beauty of the Vrindavan Garden and
the majesty of Govardhan Hill; • the fun world of a children’s park; •
the sparkle of the Kaliya Krishna fountain; • the heart-warming
atmosphere of Gopal’s goshala.

The programme schedule is as follow
6th of February 09 - Bhaimi Ekadasi Morning Program & Ecstatic Kirtans
by Prabhupada Disciples Delicious Ekadasi Feast Adivasa Puja and Netra-
unmilan
(Eye opening Ceremony of Radha Gopal) The first ever elephant
procession of their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Gopal Evening program
filled with an Abundance of Devotional and Cultural Art Performances

7th of February 09 - Nityananda Trayodasi First Dharshan of Their
Lordships Sri Sri Radha Gopal Pranpratishta and Mahabhisekha Grand
opening of the Krishna Tattva Dharshan Maha feast in the honor of Lord
Nityananda Enlivening lectures on the apperances of Lord Varaha Deva &
Lord Nityananda given by Prabhupada Disciples Jhulan Yatra and Utsav
Parikrama

8th of February 09 The Grand Yearly “HARE KRISHNA” Festival Attended
by 50,000 Devotees Dance and Drama Performances by International
Artists Ecstatic Kirtans Exhibitions and Devotional Stalls The
Fabulous Fire Jugglers From Europe Prasadam Feast Fireworks and much
much more

POST-FESTIVAL ATTRACTION

The temple opening festival will be followed by a pilgrimage to holy
places in Maharastra from February 9 to 12 in the association of H. H.
Lokanath Swami and many more disciples of Srila Prabhupada’s and
ISKCON leaders. We will visit Lord Vitthala in Sridham Pandharpur; the
birthplace of Saint Tukaram in Dehu; and the famous pilgrimage town of
Nashik, the dwelling place of Lord Ramachandra during His exile and
the site of the Kumbha-mela.

Please book yourself as soon as possible as seats are limited.

Special accommodation and transportation …………. 2500rs Reduced rate
————————————————- 1500rs

__________________________________________________________________

ONE MORE THING:

If you would like to participate in the offering of the first deepdana
during the installation yajna of Sri-Sri Radha-Gopal, Sita-Rama-
Lasmanji, and Vitthala-Rukmini, please book yourself as soon as
possible, as the offering will be done on a first-come first-serve
basis.

TRAVEL GUIDE

• By air you can fly to Kolhapur (which is very near to Aravade), from
Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Nagpur, Pune, and Goa. • By train you can come
directly from Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore, Belgaum, Mysore, and
Kolhapur; and from Goa to Miraj or Sangli, which are also quite close
to Aravade. • By bus you can come directly from Mumbai, Pune, Belgaum,
Solapur, and Hyderabad. • By road you can reach Aravade easily via the
Pune-Bangalore highway.

Postal address: Aravade, Taluka - Tasgaon, District Sangli,
Maharashtra (India) Please write to us at: LOK.O...@pamho.net,

Telephone contacts: Chinmayi dasi: 09850723481 Krishna Bhakta das:
09921177798