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Hindola Festival

Every year during the monsoon months of Ashadh and Shravan (July – August) SwaminarayanGadi temples in India and abroad are awash with devotion. The arrival of Hindola Festival during these months usher a new breeze of bhakti and festivity. The murti of Lord Swaminarayanbapa Swamibapa is swayed in the richly decorated hindola. This year the Hindola Festival runs from Thursday 21st July 2016 to Saturday 20th August 2016.

The Hindola Festival is an opportunity for each disciple to become engrossed in the Lord's Murti. Devotees sing hindola bhajans accompanied by musical instruments. The temple ambience is charged with sound and fragrance of bhakti.

Hindolas are often made from silver, glass, styrofoam and various types of wood. These can then be further enhanced by decorating them with leaves, flowers, fruits, sandalwood paste etc. Even the simple wooden hindolas can be transformed into something quiet exotic by encasing them in velvet, cotton, bead work, silk embroidery etc. When combined with rich carpets of silk, wall hangings of exquisite paint and applique, canopies of brightly coloured cottons and painted cane screens, colourful LED lightings, the overall effect can be absolutely stunning.