The auspicious occasion of the Murti-pratishtha of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was celebrated over three days.
The Mahotsav commenced on 5th October with cultural programmes performed by the Nagpur and Vidarbh Satsang Yuvak mandals. Through the medium of dance, drama and speeches from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, many present day social as well as cultural issues like addiction, corruption and others were addressed.
In addition, teenagers and children were made aware of the timeless lessons of "Matru-Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava & Atithi Devo Bhava".
The second day began with the Vishwa Shanti Mahayaag. The yagna rituals performed by the learned sadhus and Ved paathi Brahmins began at 8am on the morning of 6th October. The whole yagna was conducted in accordance with Vedic tenets. Special mantras were recited and prayers were offered for peace and solace to those who lost their lives or dear ones in the Uttarakhand natural disaster.
Many humanitarian activities were also organized alongside the pratishtha. In association with Jeevan Jyoti Blood Bank, Shradhanand Peth - Nagpur, BAPS organised a Blood Donation Camp. The Mohan Foundation Chennai actively participated to facilitate registration of donors for body organs, including posthumous eye donation.
The evening began with a grand Nagar Yatra through the streets of Nagpur. The murtis were taken on various vehicles through the town, to sanctify it before being installed in the Mandir. The Nagar Yatra was flagged off from the heart of the city at the Telephone Exchange and ended at the BAPS Shrti Swaminarayan Mandir, Wathoda, after crossing through the main roads of Nagpur.
The yatra had more than a dozen floats, horse buggies and musical bands. Thousands of devotees and 200 BAPS sadhus participated in this splendid nagar yatra and thousands of city dwellers had a glimpse of the yatra and the murtis. The nagar yatra also served a humanitarian purpose with youths bringing awareness about the causes of Global Warming and how to prevent it, using floats and picture boards to convey the message.
On 7th October the Vedic murti-pratishtha ceremony commenced from 8am. Senior sadhus of the Sanstha were present to perform the installation of the murtis which were consecrated by HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Over 10,000 devotees from all over the world (Nagpur, Vidarbh region, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Gujarat, US, UK, Middle East, Far East) were present to witness this historic spiritual event.
The murtis of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami, Ghanshyam Maharaj, Nilkanth Varni, Shri Radha-Krishna Dev, Shri Laxmi Narayan Dev, Shri Sita-Ram, Shri Shiv-Parvati, ShreeNathji, Balaji, Ganapati, Hanumanji and the Guru Parampara – Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj were consecrated by senior sadhus on behalf of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
The Union Minister for Heavy Industries, Praful Patel (MP), Vilas Muttemwar (MP), Mayor Anil Sole and former MP Banwarilal Purohit attended the function. Addressing the gathering, Shri Praful Patel mentioned Swaminarayan mandirs as a places of social and religious harmony. He added that the BAPS mandirs are engaged in services for entire humanity. Vilash Muttamvar from Vidarbh expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards Pramukh Swami Maharaj and BAPS for their invaluable contribution by opening this mandir for the people of Nagpur.
Prasadam was served to all the visitors during the entire Mahotsav.