Prabhupada Placing Ananta Sesha in the TOVP Foundation Pit, 1972

1972 was a year in Sridhama Mayapur filled with many beginnings. The Radha Madhava Golden Jubilee Festival from March 2 – 5 commemorates four of them. These include:

• 50th Anniversary of Chota Radha Madhava’s Installation/Arrival
• 50th Anniversary of the ISKCON Mayapur Gaur Purnima Festival
• 50th Anniversary of Prabhupada Placing the Ananta Sesha Murti
• 50th Anniversary of Jananivas Prabhu as Mayapur Head Pujari

In a previous article, we have presented the arrival of chota Radha Madhava. This article focuses on the placing of the Ananta Sesha murti in the TOVP Foundation by Srila Prabhupada’s own hand.

Acyutananda Das recalls:

Bhaktivaibhava Puri Maharaja from the Gaudiya Math assisted with the ceremony and preparations. He personally hand-made a mud altar for the puja of Ananta Sesha and while in the foundation pit offered coins, gems, arati, etc. with Prabhupada present. When Prabhupada arose from the pit he laughingly said:
“That is the first I went into a ditch”

Bhavananda Das recalls:

There was no cornerstone ceremony per se as I recall. Rather there was the ceremony of placing Ananta Sesha in a six-foot deep pit and cementing him in a small box of brick and cement. The purpose was so that Ananta Sesha could support the entire project on His hoods. Prabhupada himself did that with his Godbrother Puri Maharaja from Vishakapatna. The ceremony took place on Gaur Purnima, 1972.