Kanpur: The Radha-Krishna deities at the ISKCON temple in Kanpur will be adorned in specially designed outfits worth around Rs 5 lakh during this year’s Janmashtami celebrations. The three-day celebrations will be held from Sept 4 to 6, with six special outfits prepared for the deities. International designers from New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Thailand collaborated with artisans from Vrindavan to create the elaborate attire.Premashraya Nitai Das, an organiser at the ISKCON temple, said the deities would be dressed in different outfits twice a day during the celebrations.Special arrangements have also been made for devotees to participate in the Kalash Abhishek ritual at noon and 4 pm.According to Das, preparations for the outfits began six months to a year in advance. Expert designers associated with ISKCON temples in major international cities worked on the designs and precise fitting of the attire for the deities. The intricate embroidery, patterns and other decorative details were subsequently executed by skilled artisans from Vrindavan.The elaborate preparations are expected to add a special attraction to the Janmashtami celebrations at the Kanpur ISKCON temple This year, the birthday celebrations would span three days ( September 4 to 6) . Our constant endeavor is to ensure that every devotee visiting the temple premises enjoys a deep spiritual experience. Throughout this three-day festival, alongside prayers and worship, there would be continuous floral decorations, ‘Harinam Sankirtan’ (devotional chanting), and the distribution of ‘Mahaprasad’ .“The main grand abhishek (ritual bathing) of the deity is performed at midnight by the temple’s senior saints and the ashram’s devotees. “ ‘Abhishek’ ceremonies will be held at separate times during the day at 12:00PM and 4:00PM.. In view of the rainy season, a massive waterproof tent has been erected within the temple premises so that devotees can offer prayers and perform the ‘abhishek’ throughout the day without any interruption.
