As in previous years Padayatra Mauritius organised a padayatra to mark World Holy Name Week 2014. The walk was scheduled from the 3rd to the 5th of September. The first day started off from the Henrietta bus station located in the center of the island. However, due to heavy rain, only about fifteen determined devotees participated in this four kilometre walk to a Siva temple called the Glen Park Vacoas Shivala Hall. The devotees stopped at covered places along the way –bus stands and verandas of shops– where onlookers could bring offerings to the Deities. At the end of this austere but blissful day the padayatris relished hot herbal tea and spicy kitchri served by Shatrughna Dasa.
In the evening cyclonic conditions were declared over Mauritius so the following two days of padayatra were postponed to a week later. On the 13th the padayatra team started off from the place where they had left off ten days before. The procession comprised about twenty men, seven women and three children, and the powerful kirtana vibrated through the streets of Vacoas, inspiring onlookers to join the chanting and dancing. On that day the temple president of Hare Krishna Land in Phoenix, Ajay Caitanya prabhu, and other leaders such as Pancha-Tattva prabhu and Vrishabhanu prabhu joined the party, inspiring the padayatris to dance and sing with greater enthusiasm. Devotees distributed packs of bundi sweets ( a sweet made from chickpea flour) along the way. The walk ended at the Vacoas Kabir Mandir presided by Visnu Tattva deities and various demigods, like in most Hindu temples in Mauritius. The priests warmly welcomed the devotees, and expressed their appreciation of this walking event. A full feast prepared by the Padayatra Mauritius devotees was served to everyone present : rice, salad, dahl, kofta balles, rasgoolas and lemon drink.
On September 14th, the walk started at the same Kabir Mandir and ended at ISKCON’s Hare Krishna Land in Phoenix. The local village people served orange juice and sweets ( ladus and goolab jamuns) to the padayatris, and many also joined the kirtana procession for a while Upon arrival at Hare Krishna Land all the devotees did parikrama of the temple three times. and then entered the temple hall for an ecstatic kirtana, followed by evening arati and class. The successful three day padayatra ended with another sumptuous feast.
Padayatris organised special harinamas during Kartika
Every day during the sacred month of Kartika Padayatra Mautitius organised harinamas in different towns and villages. The party was accompanied by Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara , Srila Prabhupada, Nrsimhadeva, Srila Prabhupada and Damodara Krishna. During the harinamas, the devotees would stop at different homes and public places so that the residents of the area and passerbys could offer a lamp to the Deities. All the way the devotees sang, danced and distributed packets of halavah and bundi to everyone they met. Many of the people were such enthusiastic recipients of the Lord’s mercy that they joined the harinam sankirtana party and participated in dancing and chanting the holy names.
The last day of Kartik is Ganga snana day, and thousands of Mauritian Hindus go to the beach at Flic en Flac to worship Mother Ganga. Then they spend the rest of the day enjoying themselves at the seaside. The padayatra team had kirtana at that beach all day. They also joined the Food for Life team in preparing and serving to the crowds free pakoras, juice and a very popular dish in Mauritius called briani , which is simply a sabji cooked with rice. The day ended at twilight with the chanting of the Damodarastaka prayers. Hundreds of lamps flickered in the night, their light reflected in the ocean while the chanting of the devotees filled the air. The devotees’ hearts were filled with bliss and anticipation of Kartik 2015.
