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Sitting in the temple room the early afternoon of Janmastami day, devotees prepare flower garlands for the festival later that night. In the background, a life-size image of ISKCON's founder Srila Prabhupada looks towards New Goloka's altar. |
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Preparations continue outside as well. Here devotees are setting up the children's tent. |
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Hundreds of people will attend the festival and eat prasadam, ritually consecrated food. Cooking for so many guests is an all-day activity. |
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Night arrives and hundreds of people fill New Goloka's grounds. |
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For many attendees, Janmastami is an opportunity for socializing and cultural enrichment as well as religious devotion. |
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Attendees enjoy prasadam. |
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Janmastami is a celebration of Krishna's birthday. Here, a troup of children perform a play about Krishna's life. |
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Musicians perform traditional devotional songs. |
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New Goloka's spiritual leader, Bir Krishna Goswami converses quietly with another swami as the crowds surround them. |
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Under the temple's pavilion, a crowd of people await the central ritual activity of Janmastami: the puja (bathing) of the images of Radha-Golokananda. |
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Musicians offstage prepare for the puja. |
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The swamis have first opportunity to perform puja for Radha and Krishna. |
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New Goloka Temple's president Mother Krishnapriya pours libations for the deities. |
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A man performs puja as his family looks on. They will also do so, following him. The laypeople who are honored with this opportunity have all offered sizable donations to the temple. |
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A woman leads her relatives to perform puja. |
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Devotees take great care as they pour libations onto the image of the deities. |
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A man watches as his daughter performs the ritual bathing of Krishna and Radha. |
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Unlike most of the participants, this woman performed the puja ritual alone. |
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A family performs puja together. |
