The first weekend of July 2019 ushered in a historical moment with the Haridham Mandir Mahotsav, which marked the murti pratishtha ceremony and grand opening of the Haridham Mandir in New Jersey. Inspired by Guruhari Hariprasad Swamiji, this mandir is the first Haridham Mandir outside of India that was built from the ground up, and features majestic wood carvings, intricate designs, and is crowned with several shikhars.
More than 5,000 devotees from across the world arrived in New Jersey to witness this historical moment and contributed to the celebration that will be engrained in their memories for a lifetime. Taking place on the evening of July 5th, the first session of the Haridham Mandir Mahotsav was a youth convention, which was geared towards spiritual development of youths and young professionals.
The session consisted of several speakers sharing their discourses in English and Gujarati. What was especially appealing was a well-articulated English discourse given by P. Anandsagar Swami, which was a treat for youngsters more conversant with the English language. Two books, The Language of Haridham and Guardian of the Soul Part II, were also launched with the blessings of Swamiji. The youths performed a magnificent cultural dance. Along with several other saints and dignitaries who spoke, the session ended with Guruhari Swamiji giving an enlightening discourse and blessing the youths.
The morning of July 6th was reserved specifically for the historical Yagna, a Mahapooja with the idols that would be installed in Haridham Mandir. The idols were placed front and center while senior saints conducted the Mahapooja. All the men wore a white chudidar-kurta with a cream koti and all the women were dressed in saris featuring the Haridham colors. More than a hundred men and women also took initiation in the Mahapooja as Ambrish and Sahradai devotees. The palpable excitement was further heightened with each ritual and tears of joy streamed down the face of many devotees as this historical moment was the result of 36 years of Guruhari Swamiji’s selfless service to devotees. Swamiji was present at the Yagna and showered his blessings upon all devotees and encouraged everyone to live a life filled with samp -suhradbhav – ekta.
