Jaipur. The Panihati Chida-Dahi Festival was celebrated with great devotion and grandeur at Gupt Vrindavan Dham, attracting lakhs of devotees from across Jaipur who gathered to witness the divine festivities and seek the blessings of Lord Sri Sri Krishna-Balaram.
On the auspicious occasion, the deities of Sri Sri Krishna-Balaram were adorned with a magnificent fruit decoration made from 1,100 kg of fresh fruits. Devotees enthusiastically participated in a grand Palki Yatra, chanting the holy names of the Lord and performing joyful sankirtan and devotional dances. The deities of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai (Krishna-Balaram) were ceremonially bathed in a Maha Abhishek using fruit juices and fragrant flowers.
For the Chida-Dahi Festival, Sri Sri Krishna-Balaram were dressed in a unique outfit crafted from 15 varieties of dry fruits, a masterpiece that took 551 hours to complete.
A major highlight of the celebration was the Jal Vihar (divine water pastime) of Sri Sri Krishna-Balaram in a sacred pool filled with 30,000 litres of sanctified water. The pool was beautifully decorated with 500 kg of flower petals and prepared using water from seven sacred rivers, rose water, kewra water, and aromatic perfumes.
Special offerings of 21 varieties of Chida-Dahi (flattened rice mixed with curd)—prepared only once a year—were presented to the deities as Mahabhog.
Amitasana Das, President of Gupt Vrindavan Dham, explained that the festival commemorates the historic meeting between Srila Raghunath Das Goswami and Sri Nityananda Prabhu at Panihati village near Kolkata in West Bengal. Following the instructions of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami distributed chipped rice mixed with curd to all devotees. This sacred event is celebrated annually as the Panihati Chida-Dahi Festival, also known as the Danda Mahotsav (Festival of Divine Mercy or Punishment).