By Radha Mohan Dasa
Feeding of the 65,000 at Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Janmashtami festival
Bhaktivedanta Manor Krishna Temple situated in the Hertfordshire countryside will attract over 65,000 people over two days during this Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate the 5000 year-old Indian festival of Janmashtami.
The kitchens of the Temple will be working 24 hours to prepare free vegetarian meals of everyone who comes the festival . “It is a tradition that all who come to Bhaktivedanta Manor, during Lord Krishna’s birthday should receive free food,” said Ajay Kumar, the festival coordinator, “we hope that the efforts of 1500 volunteers over many months will make everyone? s visit very enjoyable.”
Bhaktivedanta Manor was donated by former Beatle George Harrison with 78 acres of land, including formal gardens and a lake. The theme of the festival is food for the body and spirit. There will be demonstrations and tasting tents for different cuisines celebrating vegetarianism and environmentalism. From organic to vegan, from ‘happy cow milk’ to self-sufficiency, the festival will appeal to the whole family. ” Reducing the consumption of meat is the single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint,” explained Temple spokesman Sita Rama Das. “A 2006 United Nations report found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the vehicles in the world combined. The raising and feeding of livestock also puts a major strain on the food supplies. About 44% of all the grain in the world is used for animal feed.”
Recently Bhaktivedanta Manor was granted permission to build the largest Cow Protection programme in Britain. The manger of this project Shyamsundar Das said that “this is a unique organic and ethical dairy farm, which I hope will be the blue print of other such farms throughout the UK. ” Visitors will be able to visit the working farm during the festival.
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For more information, please contact:
Prior to the Festival Please contact: Radha Mohan Das Mobile: 07818 815 978 Office: 01923 851003 Email: Radha.Mohan.BCS@krishnatemple.com
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Editor’s notes:
1. Festival Sunday 24th August 12.00 midday until 12.00 midnight Bank Holiday 25th August 2008 from 12.00 midday to 10.00 pm Bhaktivedanta Manor
* Bhaktivedanta Manor ISKCON temple, originally gifted to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness by the late Beatle George Harrison
* The Manor is nestled in 77 acres of beautiful countryside outside Watford and hosts the largest Hindu festivals in the UK.
* It has become one of the most important sites of pilgrimage and has a high standard of courses, workshops, civic marriages, cow protection, worship and a monastic facility.