Braj, 2018.07.17

The management of Radharaman temple has announced that on, Guru Purnima, the temple will remained closed after 2.50pm due to a lunar eclipse. Many other temples are likely to remain closed on th evening of the 27th, which is disappointing news for the hundreds of thousands of visitors who manage to get away from the daily grind come to Vrindavan. Darshan of Vrindavan’s Thakurjis is not something that is easily achieved.

The eclipse will no doubt also decrease the number of people doing parikrama in the evening as it is thought that the best thing to do at such times is to stay inside and sing or chant.

The eclipse is being described as the longest eclipse in the century. The Lunar Eclipse Starts – 23:54:26 on 27th July and ends at 3:49am on 28th. During this time, the moon will appear red as the earth’s shadow blocks the other wavelengths of light. Precautions are taken at this time because evil influences are said to be more prominent and it is not recommended to sleep during an eclipse as such prominent celestial events can cause nightmares.

The clash of Guru Purnima and the lunar eclipse is unfortunate although perhaps some will take advantage by having their own jagran (fast from sleep) program.

Dwarkadheesh jhula

Dwarkadheesh temple has announced that Lord Dwarkadheesh’s Jhulan Yatra (swing festival) will begin from the evening of 28th July. During the month of August, Braj’s temples will all hold Jhulan Yatra festivals. The swing festival is held for several days, even weeks in some temples. Many temples begin the festival from Hariyali Teej (13th August) by installing Thakurji’s swing among decorations made from greenery. The festival continues until Raksha Bandhan (26th August).