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Nairobi Shakotsav

During His time Lord Shree Swaminarayan held a glorious Shakotsav festival in the village of Loya. From that day, this festival is being celebrated during dhanurmas throughout the world in Swaminarayan temples.

On 23rd January 2015, Shakotsav festival was celebrated with great joy at Swamibapa Temple in Nairobi. Acharya Swamishree cooked the aubergine curry (Shak), just like Lord Shree Swaminarayan had done in Loya. He put in the salt, spices, sugar, chillies etc. and made a delicious curry. This was offered to the Lord, with millet rotla breads and sweet ladus. Special devotional songs for the occasion composed by Nandpadvi santos were sung to celebrate this day.

The temple hall was totally transformed into a village scene. There were bull carts, equipment for making butter milk from yogut, wells for collecting water, parrots cages, garden of bananas and mangoes and various other trees. Everyone was dressed in traditional clothes. With the help of the sant mandal, a short play and dances with shakotsav theme were performed by devotees.

Everyone had a lavish dinner of millet rotla breads, sweet ladus, rice, curry and ice cream after the celebrations.