Gajanan maharaj temple to remain open for 21 hours today

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The Sadguru Gajanan Maharaj temple at Garkheda, a major centre of faith for city residents, will observe the Shri Prakat Din celebration on Sunday. To facilitate orderly darshan for thousands of devotees, the temple will remain open for 21 continuous hours.

Temple timings

On the occasion of Prakat din, the temple doors will open at 4 am and remain open until 1 am the following night. While religious rituals will continue throughout the day, devotees will be able to take darshan without interruption.

‘Sahasranam Jap Yagna’ — this year’s highlight

Every year, devotees visit the temple for darshan and prasad. This year, the trust has decided to actively involve devotees in spiritual practice by organising a ‘Sahasranam Jap’ between 11 am and 12 noon at the CADA office ground.

Programme schedule

—------ 4 am: Shri Abhishek; temple opens for darshan

—------ 7 am: Collective aarti

—------ 11 am: Completion of yagna (Purnahuti)

—------ 11 am to 12 noon: Sahasranam Jap

—------- 11.30 am onwards: Distribution of Mahaprasad

—------- 6 pm: Special aarti

—------- 1 am: Temple doors close

Massive turnout expected

An estimated 80,000 devotees are expected to visit the temple during the 21-hour period. To manage the crowd, the trust has registered 550 volunteers, divided into 14 groups. This includes 20 volunteers from Shri Kshetra Shegaon, according to the president of the temple trust, prof Pravinn Wakte.

Kalya's kirtan at Harsul

An Akhand harinam saptah is underway at the Sai temple on Harsul–Jalgaon road. On Sunday, H.B.P. Dnyaneshwar Kukalare maharaj will perform the kalya's kirtan from 11 am to 1 pm, followed by mahaprasad distribution. Morning abhishek pujan will also be performed, informed organiser bhaskar tehere.