Hare Krishna! This Friday we will host our biggest party of the year celebrating the auspicious Krishna Janmastami.
Programs extend throughout the weekend culminating on Sunday Evening.
The Temple will remain open from 4:30 am onwards on Friday for all guests and patrons. Darshan is open from 4:30am-5:00am, 7:00am-11:00pm (brief closures may take place for offerings).
Due to the large volume of guests expected this year the Temple will remain open only for WALK THROUGH darshan which means that guests will not be able to stay within the main temple room after their darshan visit is complete . This will ensure smooth and safe flow of traffic and allow everyone a proper darshan of our splendid Sri Sri Radha Ksira-chora Gopinath.
The process will be short visits where visitors will have the opportunity to have darshan (audience) of the Deities amidst melodious kirtans; please be prepared to wait in the long lines of devotees waiting for this divine experience. We kindly request that visitors leave the Temple after this experience so we can accommodate the crowd in a safe and pleasant atmosphere. Additionally, we ask visitors to be respectful of our neighbors and refrain from making excessive noise or leaving garbage in the streets. Please note that there will NOT be a fresh flower outfit at midnight this year, this will be offered on Radhastami (September 18th). There will also not be a feast at midnight as we have had in the past, small packets of prasadam will be distributed throughout the day. Our Govinda’s Restaurant will be open with a special menu of take-out snacks (no full meals/thalis).
Due to the large volume of guests expected this year the Temple guests will not be able to stay within the main temple room after their darshan visit is complete . This will ensure smooth and safe flow of traffic and allow everyone a proper darshan of our splendid Sri Sri Radha Ksira-chora Gopinath. After darshan the traffic will be diverted through the Govindas restaurant where guests will be given pre packaged Prasadam, following which they will be guided out of the Temple.
There will be no access to the balconies. Washrooms will be available on the lower level.
The shoe stall will open at 4pm in the park behind the temple and guests are requested to leave their shoes there for safety. Devotees will enter the Temple building from the Avenue Road Entrance and exit from the main door.
There will be security guards across the temple however we are requesting that guests be mindful and fully responsible of their belongings and children at all times while in the Temple premises .
Protection of our guests and fire safety is a collective responsibility and although our Temple is a place of public worship it is private property of ISKCON Toronto and it retains the right to ask disruptive guests to leave.
On Thursday, September 3rd, we will have a special pre-festival with Kirtan from at 6:00pm to 9:00pm. This is a great option for those looking to skip the crowds but still get darshan of Sri Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinatha!
On Saturday September 5th, we will be observing the Appearance day of ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada also known as Vyasa Puja. For more information, click HERE.
Additionally, we will have a special Sunday Feast program on September 6th featuring an Abisheka (bathing) ceremony performed by donors. For more information, click HERE.
As always, we cannot pull off such grand festivities without your support. There are various sponsorship opportunities to serve the deities and guests from sweets, flowers to water etc. Please click HERE to learn more about these sponsorship opportunities!
Please note there is VERY LIMITED street parking available near the Temple, we request visitors to be courteous to our neighbours and ensure that are parked legally and not blocking any driveways. There are a few paid parking lots within walking distance of the Temple, details are below. We also STRONGLY encourage visitors to utilize public transport as the prefered metod of reaching the Temple. For more information on parking and directions, click HERE
