Thousands gather for grand Radha Ashtami celebrations at Mayapur ISKCON
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in Mayapur witnessed a sea of devotees on Sunday as thousands from India and abroad gathered to celebrate Radha Ashtami, marking the birth anniversary of Goddess Radha, consort of Lord Krishna. The festival began on Saturday evening with the traditional adhivas rituals, setting the stage for a day of elaborate ceremonies on Sunday. At dawn, devotees performed mangalarati (auspicious morning prayers) before the deities of Radha and Krishna, followed by devotional chanting, harinam sankirtan and a special mahabhishek (ceremonial bathing of the idols). Rasik Gauranga Das, ISKCON Mayapur’s spokesperson, also known as Ramesh Maharaj, said, “Radha Ashtami is one of the most sacred observances in our tradition. Every year, we organise special programmes to honour Srimati Radharani. She is inseparable from Krishna — they are one and the same, appearing together in different forms across the ages. The divine love of Radha for Krishna is pure and unconditional. If devotees imbibe even a fragment of that love, it can create an atmosphere of peace across the world.” The sprawling Chandrodaya temple complex was adorned with thousands of lights and decorations for the occasion. Devotees queued up from the early hours to offer prayers, with temple officials estimating that over 20,000 people received prasadam (consecrated food) during the celebrations. The festival continued until late evening, with spiritual discourses, cultural performances and devotional singing forming part of the programme. Authorities made extensive security arrangements to manage the large crowds, with additional measures in place compared to regular days. “We anticipated the surge of pilgrims this year as restrictions have been lifted. Our priority was to ensure that everyone could celebrate peacefully,” a temple official said. For the past two years, Radha Ashtami at Mayapur had been subdued due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with devotees barred from entering the temple premises. This year’s full-scale observance, unrestricted for the first time since the pandemic, brought a festive fervour back to the holy town. Alongside Radha Ashtami, the temple also marked Janmashtami — the birth of Lord Krishna — adding to the devotional atmosphere. Speaking on the significance of Radha, Rasik Gauranga Das emphasised the role of divine feminine power: “When the strength of the mother increases in society, only then will humanity in the age of Kali find true peace.” The Mayapur temple, ISKCON’s global headquarters, is one of the most important centres of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and continues to attract devotees from across the world.
Radhashtami festival to be celebrated in grand style at ISKCON Mayapur
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is preparing to celebrate Radhashtami — the birth anniversary of Srimati Radharani, consort of Lord Krishna — with grandeur and devotion at its global headquarters in Mayapur, West Bengal, on Sunday, 31 August 2025. The festival, one of the most significant in the Vaishnava calendar, will also be observed across ISKCON centres worldwide. According to ISKCON’s public relations officer, Rasik Gauranga Das, the Mayapur temple complex will be decorated with flowers and lights, with thousands of devotees from India and abroad expected to participate in the celebrations. Authorities said special arrangements are being made for crowd management and security as pilgrims are likely to gather in large numbers. Radhashtami, which falls on the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadra in the Hindu lunar calendar, marks the appearance of Radharani more than 5,200 years ago in the village of Raval, near Vrindavan, as the daughter of King Vrishabhanu and Queen Kirtida. In the Vaishnava tradition, Radharani is revered as the embodiment of divine love and the feminine counterpart of Krishna. “Just as milk and its whiteness or fire and its burning power cannot be separated, so too Radha and Krishna are one soul in two forms,” explained Rasik Gauranga Das. “Her pure, unconditional love for Krishna represents the highest form of devotion. If humanity can imbibe even a fraction of that love, it will bring blessings to the entire world.” The festival will include traditional rituals, devotional singing (bhajans and kirtans), scriptural discourses, cultural performances, and distribution of sanctified food (prasadam). In Mayapur, ISKCON leaders will also lead prayers for peace and spiritual awakening in the face of global conflicts and crises. ISKCON officials said the Radhashtami celebrations are not limited to India. From New York to London, Nairobi to Sydney, and in more than 700 ISKCON centres around the world, devotees are preparing similar events. In London’s Bhaktivedanta Manor, for instance, thousands of worshippers are expected to gather for special midnight prayers, while in New York, the festival will include a cultural parade and community feast. For ISKCON, which has grown into a global spiritual movement since its founding in 1966, Radhashtami is not only a religious observance but also an occasion to highlight Radharani’s message of unconditional love and the power of the feminine principle. “Her life and teachings remind us that only the awakening of true maternal strength can lead humanity towards light,” said an ISKCON spokesperson. “On this auspicious day, we pray for her grace to guide society towards peace, unity and higher consciousness.”
