For Mayapur residents, here is a little treat in case they feel any separation from this beloved, winter-only, pastime. The cool evening atmosphere of Radha Madhava’s procession may also sooth their soul from the current blistering heat of summer in the Dham. For all other devotees around the world, please watch. Every Saturday afternoon during the winter months, a few boys walk from their school in the woods behind the ISKCON complex to the Elephant Care Center. After the boys dress up two young elephants in bright colors, tiny brass Deities of Radha Madhava are taken out of the temple and placed in the care of the boys atop Laksmipriya, the bigger elephant.
Heading the parade are the deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, the two divine incarnations whose revival of the bhakti culture in the 16th Century started in West Bengal and swept around India.
Serving as a backdrop to the procession, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is in its second year of construction, on its way to becoming one of India’s largest religious monuments.Though on a tight schedule to get the temple ready for 2016, the workers can’t resist to break for a moment and watch the weekly parade.
The temple Deities going around the new home that is being build for Them fills the hearts of Their devotees with optimism about the many centuries that lay ahead in Sridham Mayapur.
Your das, Vasudeva das
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