• Festivals and Celebrations

Activities Festivals & Celebrations

Sri Ramakrishna Tithi Puja

The holy birth tithi of the presiding deity of the order is performed on the phalguna shukla dwitiya. Elaborated mangalarati, special puja, Sri Sri Chandi Path and havan is performed. Song-drama or Geeti-aalekh, bhajans and discourses on the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna is staged. In the noon, vishal sadhu bhandara is organized for the sadhus of Dashanami Sampradaya. Like Durga Puja, thousands of devotees take noon prasad in the pandal made in adjacent Sevashrama. In the evening, Dharma-Sabha is organized in which learned monks, traditional scholars of Kashi and intellectual professors of BHU address the devotees. After the vesper service of the Thakur, bhajan-sandhya is organized by the monks of both the centers. Regardless to mention, the first temple of Sri Ramakrishna in Bharat was opened in 1936 on the birth centenary tithi of Sri Ramakrishna; to commemorate the occasion there was a tradition of performing Kali & Dashmahavidya puja at the night which continued till 2017. 

Sri Maa Sarada Devi's Tithi Puja & ​Swami Vivekananda's Tithi Puja​

Like Sri Ramakrishna's Tithi puja, the birth tithi of Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda is celebrated with elaborated mangalarati, special puja, havan, Chandi path, morning discourses on Holy Mother's life & teachings and Kathopnisad on Swami Ji's tithi puja respectively. Thousands of devotees take noon prasad and dharma-sabha is organised in the evening. 

Kali Puja

In the auspicious night of Kartik Amavasya, when the nation celebrates Deepavali; night long Kali Puja is organized in the idol at the Durga Mandap of the Ashrama which is witnessed by a huge number of devotees.

Lakshmi Puja

On the day of Sharat Purnima, Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is organized in the Ashrama premises in a proper manner. After the evening arati, the puja begins and Prasad is distributed after the havan in the night. The idol is immersed in the evening after the offering of Dadhikarma in the morning on the next day. 

Saraswati Puja

On the magha shukla panchami tithi, Saraswati Puja is also organized in the idol. Devotees offer pushpanjali and shiksharambha or hather-khori ritual is performed where toddlers ritually begin their study by writing on the slate with chalk. Many devotees take noon prasad.

Maghi Purnima

Swami Shivananda ji installed the idol of Mahavir Hanuman separately in a newly built room and also inaugurated Shrimat Swami Adbhutananda Smriti Kaksha (memorial room) on the first floor of Hanuman Mandir in 1923 on Maghi purnima day. The tradition of special puja, havan, bhog and ramnam sankirtanam continues to commemorate the temple opening day. Special reference needs to be cited regarding the holy birth tithi declaration of Latu Maharaj (unlike other direct disciples his birthday was unknown) by Swami Shivananda ji who said after opening of the above-mentioned in the year 1923 that since then that day i.e. maghi purnima would be celebrated as the birth tithi of the adbhut-sant Swami Adbhutananda.

Mahashivarati

Spring in the city of Lord Vishwanath and collective spiritual consciousness is ablaze with the awaited arrival of Mahashivratri every year. Celebration of Mahashivratri in Varanasi has been unmatched across the country in its grandiose scale and festive mood on Phalgun Krishna Chaturdashi tithi. On this special occasion, in our Ashram also, worship of Lord Shiva is performed four times in the four prahars of the night and then Havan is performed at last. Devotees worship Lord Ashutosh by offering ritualistic baths after the aarti of each Prahar.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya Avirbhav Tithi

The synthesizer of the Advaita Vedanta and the founder of the Dashanami Sampradaya of Hindu monasticism, Acharya Shankara's birthday is celebrated with special discourse on his life and works in the evening. His beautiful portrait is decorated and beautifully garlanded in the Durga Mandap.

Sri Krishna Janmastami

After the evening arati, special puja and bhoga is offered to Bala Gopal, a miniature idol installed in the main shrine. In the evening, discourses on the birth chapters of Bhagawat Mahapuran are done and later, simultaneously after the vesper service Shyamnamsankirtan is performed with the puja in the shrine.

Sri Ram Navami

Discourses on the Ram-janma episode from Ramacharitmanas is done generally by the reputed manas scholars and Ramnamsankirtan is performed in the Hanuman Mandir.                                                                                                                                                                

Guru Purnima

The holy birth tithi of Maharshi Veda Vayas is celebrated conventionally as Guru Purnima in sanatan dharma, a day when the disciples pay special obeisance to their Guru. Special puja and havan is performed to Sri Ramakrishna followed by discourses on Guru-tatva. Disciples take noon prasad after the bhog-arati.

Phalharini Kali Puja

After the evening arati of Sri Ramakrishna, Kali puja is performed on the image of Sri Ramakrishna inside the temple.