Holi is the festival of colours; its original meaning is about the triumph of good over evil, Hindu mythology describes an ancient story about an evil demon king called Hiranyakashypu and the great Lord Vishnu’s avatar Narasimha.

My family and I were invited for a tour of the temple grounds and to participate in the ceremony of Holi prayers. On arrival we were welcomd by volunteers of the temple who guided us to a room where refreshments were being served. The volunteers at the temple were true to the nature of many indians, kind, hospitable and humble.

Vibrational music and songs were played live which seemed to lift spirits of everyone in the manor, the shrine of the dieties were loaded with people going to pay their respects.

A host was designated to our family, his name was Sumit, a credit to the temple, a person of humility and calmness who was familiar with the history and surroundings of the Manor.

Sumit first took us to the main hall to receive darshan of the deities and then kindly took us around the building of the temple, starting upstairs of the manor where their spiritual master Shrila Prabhupada once lived. The rooms remain untouched to this day to preserve the esence of Shrila Praphupada and his teachings. They are used by the devotees for quiet meditation or japa area.

After viewing the rooms we were taken to the outside grounds where the bakery and kitchens were situated, he explained to us that on a daily basis food is prepared and provided for the homeless using donations from the members of the public, devotees and manor residents who give up their spare time to help. This community service is called “Food for Life” with the belief that no-one within a ten mile radius of any temple should be deprived of food whatever their situation.

So every day a van goes to parts of London (Camden, KentishTown and Kings Cross) distributing food for the needy. On a weekly basis over 1000 hot nutritious meals are supplied to the homeless and destitute of london streets.

We were then shown the schools and nursery of the grounds where many british-hindu parents send their children for education of academic, spiritual and moral studies. Including education of the vedic lifestyle providing a basis to obtain a healthy, peaceful and fulfilling life harmonious with nature. Sunday schools and youth groups are successfully formed with additional performance and learning of dance, music and singing, providing a confidence and creative building focus for many young people.

The grounds also supply a sanctuary of peace and tranquility in the form of their plentiful, green gardens, including a meditation walk garden with 108 steppingstones to complete and a healing garden packed full of natural medicinal plants and flowers. But what is tranquility without water?! A recycle garden where compost is made, with a waterfall feature, surrounded by miniature deities and statues, fish pond and a beautiful lake complete with ducks.

Onsight several childrens play areas were in full use, providing a great entertainment to the little ones we call the next generation!!

Next we moved onto the Gokul and saw the straw bed where tragically Gangotri was killed deceitfully, seeing how well cared for the cows are made the event that has been publicised worldwide all the more worse. I feel at this time it is appropriate to quote recent press release concerning Gangotri’s death as I have previously written articles on the story of Gangotri and the sacredness of animals.

Peter Ainsworth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, visited the temple three months after the incident on 11th march 2008, he pledged his support in the matter and made comments.

Mr Ainsworth said “I hope that the community at Bhaktivedanta Manor will accept my sincere condolences on the loss of Gangotri. One of the many things which I learnt from my visit is that Bhaktivedanta Manor provides a very caring environment, and I fully believe that Gangotri benefited from all possible attention and medical care. I was disturbed to learn that the version of events set out to me by the RSPCA differs, in some important matters of fact, from what was actually experienced on site in the days leading up to 13th December last year.”

Among other things the temple is seeking an investigation into the killing of Gangotri by the RSPCA, Mr Ainswroth gave his support to this end and said “I agree that it will be important to establish the truth of what happened, partly so that justice can be done to Gangotri’s memory, partly to ensure that the integrity of the Manor is upheld, and partly so that lessons can be learnt”. After a final ceremony, Gangotri’s ashes were scattered in the sacred River Yamuna in Vrindavan, India, the home of Lord Krishna.

The cows in the Gokul were very tame and in no way fearful of human contact, we approached each cow and stroked them tenderly as were many other people. Their surroundings were abundant with space and cleanliness and all the cows were kept in comfort with plenty of straw, they even had their own grooming space with brushes that were utilised by the cows themselves when they required.
For a more in-depth reading please visit www.justiceforgangotri.org

After the tour we returned with Sumit to our room for light refreshments before the ceremony of Holi began, they provided us with a bag containing ncense, coconut, popcorn and water as utensils for the ceremony. We surrounded a bonfire and the priest described the significance of the fire, as in the holi story with Prahlad and Holika, where a huge fire was used to try and kill Prahlad (a devotee of Vishnu) using Holika (demon kings sister) who had a boon with god to be immune to fire destruction. After the fire Prahlad remained unharmed while Holika had died, the significance meaning that good will always conquer evil. He also entioned that Hindus would pray for a good harvest which is why the offering of corn is given, so in short, the Holi ceremony is a prayer to the gods for protection agains evil and a successful year in harvest. We finished off with final prasad and that concluded our tour and participation of the Manor and Holi festival.

My trip to the Manor was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, where I can see that their life revolves around the notion of karma and bhakti yoga in everything they do. Their devotion to their lord and spiritual master is pure and selfless, they offer all that they have to anyone willing to listen and accept from them and asking nothing in return.

I would recommend anyone practicing yoga to acquaint themselves with the kind of knowledge that the Bhaktivedanta Manor offers as they follow the fundamental rules that many master yogis suggest to their aspirants (simple living, karma, ahimsa, self sufficiency, selfless service etc…). If you are not interested in yoga it is still a great family day out, escaping from the hustle and bustle of everyday, stressful life to a haven of serenity and tranquility, surrounded by nature and peaceful people.           

I would like to thank Sumit for a wonderful tour of the temple and Mr Vinay Tanna for the opportunity to visit and join in the celebration of Holi at the Bhaktivedanta Manor.
Please visit their website for more details about the manor www.krishnatemple.com