Mathura (UP), March 29 The 134-day-long Phool Bangla Utsav began on Sunday at the Shri Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan, a festival centered around creating flower decorations to lower the temple's temperature, keeping in mind the rising heat and the upcoming summer months.
Since the red stone structure and the use of earthen lamps make the temple hot and unbearable in the summers, the flower decorations are done to provide relief to Lord Krishna from the intense heat, said Gyanendra Kishore Goswami Sewayat, a temple official.
Large quantities of decorative and fragrant flowers, such as bela, mogra, rose, chameli, carnation, marigold, lily, lotus, and orchids, are sourced locally as well as from Kanpur, Kannauj, and Ajmer. "Rose and mogra are Lord Bankey Bihari's favorites," he said.
He added that a large number of devotees participated in both morning and evening darshans on the first day of the festival on Sunday.
The festival will run for a slightly longer period this year due to the 'adhik maas' (additional month in the Hindu calendar), he added.
Another temple official, Shashank Goswami Sewayat, said that darshans of Lord Krishna will be available from the Jagmohan temple during the festival.
Before 2016, Phool Bangla darshans were only available in the evening, but after a Supreme Court order in July 2016, the festival was also observed in the morning, he said.
The flowers used in the decoration are then sent to Ashray Sadan, a home for widows, where they are processed to make incense sticks, he said.
"Madhurya Bhav (sweet mood) is central to Bhakti in Brij Bhumi. We care for Lord Krishna as Lalla (child). Bhakti is about contemplating the happiness of Thakur Ji," said Dinesh Chandra Goswami of Sri Radha Raman temple.
A clay pot, which keeps the prasad cool, is used for an entire month to offer water, seasonal fruits, and Sharbat to the Lord. A new pot is used every day to maintain the temperature.
Instead of saffron and dry fruits, mango, banana, litchi thandai, lassi, and chaanch are offered to the Lord, he added.
"We are expecting a large number of devotees to visit the temples during the festival. Proper security and safety arrangements for the devotees are in place during the Utsav period," said Mathura SSP Shlok Kumar.