30th Anniversary of Krishna Balaram Mandir

[Guest guest]

Day One - 17th April

 

Rama Navami, 18th April, marked the 30th Anniversary of the first and only

complete temple ever built by Srila Prabhupada, Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir.

Up to that time we had remodeled churches, a temporary temple in Mayapur, one

in the making in Bombay, or houses in the low rent area painted bright colors

with a sign "Radha Krishna Temple" hung out front. The temple is located right

on the main road named by the Municipality as Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg in honor

of Srila Prabhupada making Vrindavan famous all over the world. Situated in

Raman Reti, "the enjoyable sands" where Krishna and Balaram sported with Their

cowherd boyfriends, the beautiful colonaded temple with its unique archways

designed by Dutch-born Surabhi Swami, has become a destination that no tourist

who visits Vrindavan ever misses.

 

It was late after all the festivals this season, with only a few handfuls of

devotees braving the 100+ weather, so the temple management organized a two day

festival whose theme was to bring together the local devotees living in the

surrounding community. The highlight of the festivities was taking all three

sets of Utsava Deities on three palaquins to visit all the differnt departments

of Their temple.

 

Both mornings instead of the Bhagavatam class, had many senior devotees

recounting their memories of the glorious event or the histories leading up to

it. The first morning, Deena Bandhu Prabhu read from a short history he

prepared for the Silver Jubilee celebration five years earlier. Prabhupada had

just finished a successful pandal program at the LIC grounds in Delhi in

November of 1971 and with a few free days and that also being Kartika, he

brought the devotees to visit Vrindavan. When the city honored him with a

function held at the city hall, being inspired by the enthusiastic kirtan, one

G.S. Saraff came forward and offered his land in Raman Reti to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

Prabhupada appointed the late Ksirodakshayee Vishnu to get the deed. Mr. Saraff

and his wife Gita Devi could not make up their minds so they had Ksirodakshayee

write "yes" and "no" on two pieces of paper which they folded and placed at the

feet of Radharani. Srila Prabhupada being the most dear devotee of Radharani,

when Ksirodakshayee plucked one paper, it was the one that said "yes"! The deed

was drawn up and the land was registered in ISKCON's name in March of 1972.

 

Prabhupada engaged one Dutch architect who was visiting the temple in Bombay

and who eventually became his disciple to draw up the plans for the temple.

Like New Govindaji's in Vrindavan, with sunken courtyard, surrounded by arched

colonades, Prabhupada wanted three altars. Surabhi designed a unique swirling

arch that has become the hallmark of Krishna Balaram Mandir.

 

Cement, bricks, and many building materials were scarce and controlled by the

government. Guru Das, his wife Yamuna, and a small crew of devotees tried their

best, but when Janmastami of 1974 arrived, the date tentatively set by

Prabhupada, there were only foundations, and RCC shooting into the sky where

columns would eventually come.

 

Daivishakti picked up the thread from there as she was serving in Srila

Prabhupada's house. She told in painful detail how Srila Prabhupada was so

thourougly disapointed that he developed a life-threatening fever and devotees

around the world chanted for his recovery. Then Surabhi rented generators and

put lights up and had 24-hour shifts to do the impossible and get the temple

ready by Rama Navami of 1975. She also recounted how they thought they had two

weeks to get Srila Prabhupada's quarters ready for him, when they received a

telegram that he was arriving that evening. Bhavananda inspired and

commandeered a crew of devotees who worked cooperatively in such a way that had

never been seen before.

 

Ananda praised those devotees who stayed in Vrindavan with no bottled water,

suffering diseases, bathing at a well from a bucket, and performing incredible

austerities just to please Srila Prabhupada. Others recalled the yajna done by

the local brahmins so that no one would criticized the temple. But Prabhupada

over and over told us that the real installation was the 24-hour kirtan. This

was a theme repeated by others throughout the two days of nectar.

 

Then in the evening, Srila Prabhupada and the three sets of Utsava Deities were

taken on palanquins brightly decorated with flowers and colored umbrellas to

visit the various department of Their temple for the first time ever.

Accompanied by ecstatic kirtans led by the best of kirtan leaders, They

proceeded out the front gates of the temple and going around to the right

behind the temple, They went out the gate toward the prasadam hall and followed

a path decorated with strings of bright yellow and orange marigolds to the MVT

road. Then going up to the main road they entered the Food for Life gate where

altars were set up and bhoga offering was made and artika performed. Then milk

and prasadam were distributed to the devotees. This was done at each stop.

 

Proceeding further, They came to a small pandal and altar set up by the

shopkeepers in front of the Gurukula. As they entered the Gurukula, the Mailout

and Vrinda Kunda office greeted Their Lordships, and Daivishakti Mataji,

presented a book she compiled of all Srila Prabhupada's quotes about Vrindavan,

entitled, "Sri Vrindavan Dhama As It IS." As per age-old ISKCON tradition, the

book had only arrived two hours before from the printers!

 

Entering the Gurukula, Deities rested on an altar in the southwest corner of

the lawn under a beautiful tree and were offered an incredible chappan bhoga

offering. From there they proceeded to the Samadhi where They were greeted by

seven women disciples of Srila Prabhupada, each doing a different service, like

ringing bell, blowing convh, and other services.

 

At that point, Deena Bandhu Prabhu began to pass out incense sticks to everyone

and the procession took on a very divine auspicious aspect with all the

devotees gayly waving incense in air. One of the temple commanders had a tank

on his back and was joyfully spraying rosewater on the crowd. All thoughout the

route, devotees were happily placing firework fountains that reminded one of

the Deity processions in South India.

 

After being greeted by the Information Center, They proceeded to the Krishna

Balaram Guesthouse. The air of community among the devotees waving their

incense sticks is impossible to describe. Everyone was simply relishing being

on inspection tour with their beloved Thakurji's. Many devotees were moved to

tears.

 

>From the Guesthouse, Their Lorships were greeted by a small play put on by

Nrsimha Mataji and the devotees who serve in Prabhupada's house. They had

brightly colored costumes and makeup and the devotees relsished their little

skit.

 

Then they went out the Guesthouse gate and behind the temple property to the

MVT. There They circumambulated the entire path with all the residing devotees

greeting Them with colored designs on their steps, full water pots, decorated

doorways, and festoons. They came to the park but the palanquins were too large

and too many to put in the Chatree there so a altar was improvised on one side.

Then Gaura Aratika was performed under the moon and stars and prasad was served

while the Deities were serenaded with kirtan. Then They started Their journey

to return to the temple. On the way out, Srimati Mataji, had posted a sign that

brought tears to my eyes: "Thank You so much for coming. Please visit again

soon."

 

Finally They visited the newly renovated devotee kitchen where the next day's

feast would be cooked for the first time. Returning to the temple, there were

smiles of wonderful satifaction on all the temple residents' faces of having

had a wonderful evening bathing the merciful darshan of Their beloved

Thakurjis. The first phase of the festival had achieved its goal!

 

In service of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram,

Deena Bandhu dasa