Tirupati, August 27, 2013: ‘Lotus Temple’ (Kamala Mandiram), a spell-binding edifice built by the International Society for Krsna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Vinayaka Nagar at the foot of Tirumala Hills, is beautifully decked up for the ensuing ‘Sri Krishna Janmashtami’ celebrations.

About four lakh visitors are expected to pour in to the temple during the three-day festival starting Tuesday. ‘Adhivasa Vedukalu’ will be observed on Tuesday, while Janmashtami, the appearance day of Lord Krishna, is celebrated on Wednesday.

‘Utlotsavam’

A special ‘Utlotsavam’ will be performed wherein the local youths will be invited to participate in the ritual, a simulation of the fun-filled event partaken by Krishna and his friends in Vrindavan. ‘Maha Sankhabhishekam’ will be performed to Sri Radha Govinda at 11 pm.

Cultural programmes

‘Vyasa Puja’ will be observed on Thursday to mark the 117th birth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the ISKCON order. “Globally-renowned cultural troupes have been invited to perform classical dance and a dance drama on the three days”, Revati Raman Das, President of ISKCON’s Tirupati unit told the media on Monday.

Special dioramas have been installed at the temple to thematically depict the various mythological events related to Krishna’s childhood days, which are a hit among the devotees visiting the temple.

Source: The Hindu, August 27, 2013