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The festivals of Swaminarayan Jayanti and Rama Navmi were joyously celebrated at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London on Saturday 20 April 2013 (this year coinciding with the actual birthdate according to the Hindu calendar).
The festivities began from the morning with the traditional annakut (a ceremonial offering of food) artistically arranged in the shrines before the deities.
At 12 noon, sadhus performed a special arti to commemorate the birth of Shri Rama Bhagwan.
A programme of devotional songs was organised from 5pm as part of the festival. Sadhus and youths eloquently sang a collection of bhajans extolling the glory of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Shri Ramachandraji.
The assembly hall in the evening was transformed into a scene from 1800s Gujarat. Youths donned the robes of sadhus and devotees in an enactment of various scenes from the life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. The expertly choreographed and thought-provoking production illustrated the ideals of dharma that Bhagwan Swaminarayan established and brought to life the uplifting impact he had on the lives of so many.
Interspersed between the sketches were devotional songs and discourses from sadhus elaborating upon the values and principles of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Shri Rama.
Children, youths and senior devotees all contributed to an enlightening set of performances, including a vibrant and colourful dancing procession welcoming the image of Bhagwan Swaminarayan into the assembly hall as the festivities neared their climax.
The assembly culminated with devotional singing and the arti sung joyously at precisely 10.10pm to mark the auspicious birth of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
The festival was also celebrated by the Women’s Forum in London on Saturday 13 April 2013. A series of sketches illustrated the positive transformation of people’s lives through the work of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. The inspiring celebrations also included dances which were enjoyed by young and old.
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