Chief minister of Andra Pradesh, presented Prabhupada with a very large and colorful garland
At 10:30 a.m. Prabhupada went to the two-acre plot, where a simple pandala had been erected in the center. His vyasasana had been brought from Madras and was nicely decorated with flowers. In front of a small but enthusiastic crowd he performed the foundation-stone ceremony for the new temple.
The guest of honor, Sri B. Gopala Reddy, a former governor of Uttar Pradesh and, historically, the second chief minister of Andra Pradesh, presented Prabhupada with a very large and colorful garland. Mr. Reddy gave a short speech, followed by Mahamsa Swami and then Acyutananda Swami. At last Srila Prabhupada spoke.
After these preliminaries Prabhupada got off the vyasasana and climbed down into a big hole in the ground with Acyutananda. A water pot with a coconut on top was placed at the bottom of the hole along with auspicious items such as amrita and flowers, as well as gold, silver, and copper coins. Then Prabhupada broke a coconut and poured the water over it all, with the sannyasis following suit. Prabhupada climbed back out and with a short speech unveiled a carved marble commemoration plaque. Finally he went back in the hole and laid a few bricks with cement.
With the foundation proceedings over, he happily initiated eleven new Indian disciples from Mahamsa Swami's party, distributing chanting beads and new names before returning to the house, leaving the sannyasis to complete the ceremony with a fire sacrifice.
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 1 by Hari Sauri Dasa
Recently Added
Trending Today