Annakutotsav
Sunday 18 November
2001, Atlanta, GA
This year, Annakutotsav was celebrated on Thursday, November
15. Friday, November 16th was the Hindu New Year’s Day. During
the daylong event, people visited the temple and offered their
prayers to God. Sunday, November 18 was the final day of the
weeklong celebrations. At 10:00 AM, the saints of BAPS based
in Atlanta performed Hindu worship ritual of Mahapuja. P. Shantmurti
Swami and P. Amrutnandan Swami performed the Mahapuja for the
well-being and peaceful life for all devotees around the world.
A grand feast offering of various vegetarian dishes to God was
the highlight of the morning. The offering of food to God, known
as Annakut, is a way of showing gratitude towards God for the
generosity He showers on us throughout the year. The ladies’
wing of BAPS Atlanta prepared more than 600 items and arranged
the items in 1400 different dishes. This spectacular presentation
of dishes arranged in front of the central shrine was a feast
to the eyes. Incidentally, American holiday of Thanksgiving
falls this week. The young girls’ wing of BAPS decorated the
right side of the stage of the temple and created a beautiful
New York City skyline in the background, reminiscent of a harmonious
New York before September 11. The foreground consisted of a
seven-pinnacled temple made with food cans collected by the
temple members for the Thanksgiving canned food drive.
Lord Swaminarayan, in His holy scripture Shikshapatri, has taught
His devotees to honor all forms of God. The center part of the
display was decorated with various idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses
sitting on lotuses floating in an artificial lake. Four dazzling
water fountains also adorned the lake. Food items displayed
on the seven elaborately-painted lotuses included freshly-cut
vegetables, fresh fruits, rice preparations, dry fruits, cookies,
and candy houses. All these items were prepared exclusively
by ladies wing of BAPS. Over 3 months of planning and efforts
of over ladies made this year’s Annakut a grand success. A strong
group of youth volunteers initiated the task of developing this
mammoth project under the guidance of Saints of the Temple.
After the Mahapuja, food was officially offered to God by singing
several Thaals (hymns requesting God to accept the food). Everyone
present participated in the traditional Arti (“waving of the
lights” ceremony) at every hour of the day. This accommodated
everyone, from young to old, to perform the Arti and offer their
devotion to God. At regular interval, dramas and dances were
performed by youths, and multimedia presentations were shown
on festivals and BAPS activities. The highlight of the evening
program was the blessings of HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj on this
auspicious occasion via video presentation. Community members
experienced the divinity throughout the day. Everyone was invited
to partake of Mahaprasad – feast of food throughout the day.
Prasad and new year’s calendars were handed out to everyone
as they left with memories of the celebration.
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