Bihariji temple will open later for devotees. The goswamis at Banke Bihari temple have decided to do aarati one hour later on Sharad Purnima, so that the millions of pilgrims and guests coming to see Biharji on that day will all get darshan. On 5th October, Rajbhog Aarti will be 12:55pm instead of 12 noon and the last aarati of they day will be at 10:25 p.m. instead of 9:30 pm. Read more (Hindi)
Five-ton feast for Giriraj. Apart from the much awaited 3 day program starting 1st October, the preparations for the chappan bhog offering to Goverdhan Maharaj are themselves spectacular. Yesterday, five trucks, containing 5 tons of material arrived in Goverdhan. Giriraj’s decoration will include flowers collected from Kolkata and Bangalore and His poshak (cloth) will be in the Rajasthani Nathdwara style. Members of the Giriraj Seva Trust will form a human chain to carry the offering from the kitchen to Thakurji. Chappan Bhog darshan will be from 12-2pm on 2nd October. Read more (Hindi)
Ravan P.C. The British Museum
Dussehra celebrations in Jeopardy. Omveer Saraswat, A Mathura-based lawyer, has written to the President and Prime Minister; petitioning them to ban Ravan burning programs on Dussehra. The lawyer, who is claiming to represent the Saraswat Brahmin community, says that parties celebrating his death are an insult to Saraswat Brahmins because he is their ancestor. Ravin’s birthplace is Bisrakh village, Greater Noida, only a few hours from Vrindavan. In this village, there is a Ravan temple and Ravan is revered as the ‘Maha Brahmin’. In some places, such as Bisrakh village, Dussehra festival is observed as day of mourning Ravan’s death and prayers are said for his safe passage in the afterlife.
Baba condemns slowness in cleanup campaign. Yesterday, Baba Madanbihari Das, leader of the Garib Ekta Dal, condemned the slow work of local and district officials, who, despite the High Court Order, have not taken any action to divert sewage away from the Yamuna. The Central and State Governments are spending millions of Rupees on awareness campaigns; however it will be of little benefit unless officials work quickly to control effluent. Read more (Hindi)
P.C Whats that Bug
Insects and drought damage Braj’s crops. Seeing their crops wilt and be destroyed by insects, Mathura farmers have appealed to the Department of Agriculture for assistance. There are 42 hectares of farmland in the Braj district, and thousands of farmers rely on crops for their livelihood. This season, the dry weather has weakened the crops which have been further damaged by insects. Read more (Hindi)
Fifth class student wins memory tournament. In a tournament organized by Samskar Bharti on September 24, several of Braj’s children have won medals and had their names entered into the Guinness Book of Records. Tijil Choudhary, 5th class student at Grace Convent School, Mathura, replaced 25 objects in the same order in one minute. He was the division winner and will have his name entered in the Guinness Book. Several other Braj students have gained distinction in the memory tournaments, including college student Prerna Sharma who was able to replace 50 objects in the correct order. Read more (Hindi)
The post Friday digest: Bihariji to open longer; Girriraj’s 5-ton feast; Braj’s crop failure and more appeared first on Vrindavan Today.