Sunday, 18th May 08 marked the auspicious day of the appearance of Lord Nrsimha. Over here at Sri Krishna Mandir, it was a cause for special celebrations as a new deity of Lord Nrsimha was installed. The older deity made of marble, was softened over time due to the constant abhishek (bath) of the Lord over an extended period of time. Just prior to over a month before the festival, the hand of the deity was broken and was temporarily sealed back in place. It was decided that a new deity made of sturdy element brought in and to permanently retire the old deity to the sea. The new deity arrived at Sri Krishna Mandir a week before Nrsimha Caturdasi and is made entirely of a compound of metal elements and weighs in at slightly over thirty-one kilograms.
The installation ceremony lasted for two days. The first half was held on the morning of the eve of the Nrsimha Caturdasi. The second half of the ceremony was held on the auspicious day itself. Part of the rituals included bathing the Lord with panca-gavya (five byproducts of the cow: urine, waste, milk, ghee and yogurt), and a fire yajna. The Taman Daya temple president, His Grace Saci Suta Prabhu, administered the entire ceremony. After all second-initiates (brahmana) offered abhishek to the Lord, the Lord then retired briefly to put on new garments assisted by brahmanas and away from everyone’s vision. The Lord then appeared all dressed up with elegance and opulence for everyone to have darshan for the first time. His Grace, Govardhan Prabhu initiated the first arati of the Lord manifested in the new deity over a rousing kirtan led by Tattva Vit Prabhu.
For the rest of the devotees, the opportunity to offer abhishek to the Lord occurred in the evening after Gaura arati. The Lord was brought down from the altar to a makeshift stage at the carpark at ground floor. After which, devotees made a beeline acquiring a small pot of milk for offering to the Lord. The cultural program started after the abhishek ceremony with performances by children, traditional Indian dancers and even a live band. The day was capped off with a drama depicting the appearance of Lord Nrsimha.
Jai Nrsimhadeva ki Jai! Jai Prahlad Maharaj ki Jai!
