Devotees from across globe gather at Mayapur to witness Holi spectacle

Kolkata: Devotees from all over the world have assembled at Mayapur, the headquarters of ISKCON, to celebrate the 533rd birth anniversary of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Gaur Purnima, the biggest festival in the Gaudiya Vaishnav Sampradaya, will be celebrated with fervour and gaiety in the Nabadwip Mandala. The excitement among the devotees is palpable as they are preparing for the big day, purchasing traditional colourful dhoti-kurta and ghagra- choli to participate in the celebration, informed Subroto Das, media spokesperson of ISKCON Mayapur.

The celebrations will start from the wee hours, with Manglarti at 4.30 am followed by class and Darshan Arti in the morning. In the evening from 4 pm onwards, Chaitanya Charitamrita - the biography of Mahaprabhu will be read. The Gaur Purnima festival is being celebrated in all 800 centres of the institution around the globe.

It may be mentioned that Mayapur is coming up as a centre of international tourism. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given the green signal to the proposal of developing it as a tourist hotspot and work will start shortly on the same. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 3,000 crore.

During her trip to Mayapur, Banerjee had assured the ISCKON authorities to provide all necessary cooperation. Later, a team comprising senior industrialists visited Mayapur. Sajjan Jindal will head the team carrying out the development project.

There has been heavy police deployment to maintain peace during Thursday's function. Devotees from 95 countries have come to take part in the celebration.