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Sharat Purnima festivities end in Mathura

     Mathura: The eight day long 'Sharat Purnima' festivities concluded earlier this week in Mathura. Worshippers from across the globe witnessed the brillaince of the event while they took part in the prayers. The 'Chhappan Bhog' or the 56 offerings was prepared by Ramesh Halwai, a famous sweetmaker of Mathura. The town echoed with religious rituals and was marked by a 'Ras Leela' or the dramatization of love of Lord Krishna towards Radha, his beloved and other Gopis of Vrindavan. The entire fair was divided into four sectors. The entire area was given the look of a beautiful garden full of flowers. The Pandal of 'Chhappan Bhog' was about 40 feet high. "We have tried our best to give it a look of a garden on the occasion of Sharat Purnima. The delicacies have been prepared by Ramesh Halwai of Mathura along with his 100 men. They have been working since the 20th of October. The 56 dishes include sweet and salted items. We offer about 3100 kgs of 'prasad' to the lord. About 1100 kgs of the 'prasad' is distributed during the Parikrama," said Om Prakash Aggarwal, a member of the Shri Girraj Ji Sevak Trust, the organisation behind the entirefestivities. The efforts of the Shri Girraj Ji Sevak Trust bore fruit when the devotees who had flocked to the place from across the country praised the arrangements. According to some, the place had an aura of spirituality. "Here we can see an environemnt of spirituality. Devotees have gained new heights of peace and joy on witnessing the Lord. I feel that after coming here to this place, I have become fully spiritual," said Kumkum, a devotee. Shalilni Maheshwari, another devotee, said, "There are so many people gathered over here. I feel very great that I am here too. We have come from Kanpur. The decoration is so good. We never imagined that this place could be decorated so well. The scene of 'Chappan Bhog' too is very appealing."
-Oct 29, 2004