Timeline of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami's Life - 2011-2020

GM is in a forest near Moscow City attending the annual Bhakti Vriksha summer festival. He will be here till 20th July before heading to Birmingham Ratha yatra Festival which is scheduled on the 22nd July. The festival is being held in one of the Soviet-era resort which had been given to the devotees for the festival, in as-is-where-is condition. The caretaker of the resort is also a devotee. It is a scenic, set in a forest with a lake. It has several buildings only for devotees to stay, a cafetaria, hall etc. The buildings were in a run down condition, but the devotees had spent many days and a million and a half roubles in sprucing up the place. Now the hall looked beautiful. The walls were covered with paintings and photographs. The ceilings were covered in fabrics, and the floor with plastic. 80% of the devotees are staying in tents of which are mostly set up around the lake. Since the water supply is not so good in the buidlings, many are taking bath, washing clothes, swimming in the lake. 

There are about 1500 devotees participating in this festival and they are from overall Russia, Belarussia and some from Ukraine. Last year When we were here for the same festival, Angira Muni PRabhu (National BV coordinator of Russia)reported that they have 233 BV groups all over Russia. Nowww...(take a deep breath pls) there are more than 300 BV groups nationwide. Yessss...the Russian are leading and looks like they deserve the gold medal. Varities of events are taking place from morning to evening. Seminars, classes, group discussion, maha kirtan, children camp, Q&A sessions, dramas,etc. GM gives Gaura Katha every evening besides meeting the devotees in private and groups. Other guest speakers are HH Bhakti Ananda Krsna Maharaj(GKG), HG Caitanya Candra Caran Prabhu ( who is a disciple of GM and initiating spiritual master) HG Vijay Venugopal Prabhu & wife and Mayapur Candra Kirtan Group led by HG Naru Gopal Prabhu. They are also planning to have a panihati festival on the last day of festival. More devotees from Moscow City are expected to come on the weekends since it is about two hours drive.

-Maha Varaha D