The Annakut festival (Chhappan Bhog), celebrated after Diwali, was held today with devotion and enthusiasm in the presence of devotees at the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple (Akshardham) in New Shimla. This Annakut festival is celebrated in the Akshardham temple by devotees and saints with traditional rituals and joy.
Under the guidance of the present Guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan sect, Param Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj, all Hindu festivals and celebrations, including Annakut, are celebrated grandly with devotion, brotherhood, and harmony in more than 1800 Swaminarayan temples established worldwide.
The festival began at 11 am with the worship of the beautifully decorated Govardhan mountain created in the temple. Distinguished citizens from the city and surrounding areas were also present on this occasion. Pujya Jayatirth Swami, in his discourse on the glory and history of Annakut, explained that these ancient traditions and festivals serve to keep future generations connected to Sanatan Dharma and spirituality.
At 12 pm, the dishes offered to God were beautifully arranged and offered as Bhog, and the first Aarti of Annakut was performed by all the devotees and saints. This year, approximately 400 dishes were offered as Prasad by about 300 families from the city and surrounding areas in the service of God with devotion. Along with the aarti, devotional songs and hymns were also presented by the saints and devotees during the offering of food to God.
The aarti continued every hour from 12 noon until evening. The final evening aarti was performed at its scheduled time of 6:00 pm. Throughout the day, prasad from the Annakoot offering was distributed to the devotees. From the very first aarti, a continuous stream of devotees lined up at the temple for darshan, which continued until the evening aarti.
