Installation and opening of ISKCON Hyderabad, 1976.

Gaura Dasa : Installation and opening of ISKCON Hyderabad, 1976. TTD Astana Vidvan M.R. Sampat Kumara Bhattacharya (left), Yasodanandana Swami (bearded for caturmasya), Srila Prabhupada and another Sri Vaishnava priest from the arcakaparty performing homa. Bottom left: Pradyumna's son Aniruddha is seen partially.

Prabhupada wrote in Caitanya-charitamrita that he did not like the priests that installed the Deities in 1975 in the ISKCON Vrindavana opening (Bhimasena Sastri and his party). The next year Mahamsa Swami (GBC for South India) asked Prabhupada if he could invite leading Ramanuja Vaishnava priests to help perform the installation and opening of ISKCON Hyderabad. Prabhupada agreed.

Prabhupada was very happy with the Vaishnava priests and they also were very appreciative of him. Prabhupada asked Yasodananda and Pradyumna to learn from M.R. Sampat Kumar Bhattacharya, so that his disciples could perform these installation ceremonies themselves. Sampat Kumar continued to perform ceremonies at other ISKCON temples including in New Vrindavana, USA. He also gave a salagrama to Srila Prabhupada, that Prabhupada gave to Pradyumna to worship. This was the beginning of salagrama worship in ISKCON.