By Ritidvipa Gaurachandra dasa, Uttar Pradesh Padayatra leader
While preaching in the nearby villages around Kanpur in February and March 2022, the Uttar Pradesh Padayatra stayed at the city’s Sri Sri Radha-Madhav temple, ISKCON’s second-largest temple after its headquarters in Mayapur. Some of our padayatris went to the Navadvipa-mandal Parikrama but three of us stayed behind to take care of Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundar, as well as our oxen who were lodged at the temple goshala.
The temple devotees arranged for our accommodation and prasadam and for the Gaura-purnima festival on March 17 they purchased a new outfit for our Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundar. On Gaura-purnima morning we attended mangala arati and after chanting our rounds engaged with the festival preparations by decorating the temple and making bhoga for Their Lordships.
That evening abhisheka was performed of our utsava deities along with temple deities Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, and Sri Sri Sita-Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman After abhisheka more than fifty-six bhogas were offered to Their Lordships followed by katha glorifying Lord Chaitanya. Maha arati was then performed followed by maha prasadam.
