Posted June 18, 2003

Sivarama Swami speaks.
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Five hundred people from different regions of Britain attended a colorful festival to inaugurate Swansea’s first Hare Krishna center, opened by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness on 15th June. The center features a large mantra meditation hall and prayer room, a traditional altar with Panca-Tattva Deities, a library, a gift shop and Swansea’s only 100 percent vegetarian restaurant, called Govinda's.

Hundreds of elegant women clad in colorful Indian saris and men in traditional Indian dhotis danced and sang at the arati ceremony when Deities of Lord Chaitanya and His associates were installed by His Holiness Sivarama Swami Maharaja.

The center is the brainchild of Welsh-born Hare Krishna devotee Tarakanatha Dasa. He is also the president of the center, and he has assembled a team of local volunteers from Swansea and surrounding areas to run and manage it.

The festival featured kirtana, lectures, reminiscences from Prabhupada disciples and local devotees, a grand fire yajna, and a lunch feast.

Activities at the center include mantra meditation classes, daily lectures on Bhagavatam, a Sunday feast, cultural programs, and celebration of traditional festivals like Janmashtami, Rama Navami, Diwali, and Dusshera.

Swansea Bay took on a different look on Sunday as devotees in their saris and dhotis swept through the beaches, much to the delight of passers-by.

"We hope that this center can contribute to the cultural diversity and spiritual fulfilment of the residents of Swansea," said Tarakanatha Dasa.

"The huge feast that Nimai Prabhu cooked brought a smile of satisfaction to the lips of every single person who came to the festival," said Manoj Dubey, a visitor from London.

For more information drop into the center at Craddock Street or call Tarakanatha Dasa at 01792 468 469 or Romapada Dasa at 07867 837 241

© dipika.org June 18, 2003