Kharghar, Maharashtra (January 15, 2025): Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sri Sri Radha Madanmohanji Temple of ISKCON at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai and offered prayers on Wednesday. The inauguration ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.
The project, built on an eight-acre plot, includes a temple with several deities, a Vedic education center, proposed museums and auditorium, a healing center, and more. It aims to promote universal brotherhood, peace, and harmony through Vedic teachings.
The construction cost of ₹200 crore was funded through donations from devotees. The temple complex features a 2.5-acre built-up area, with the remaining five acres dedicated to green spaces.
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Modi praised ISKCON's efforts in establishing the temple, saying, "Sri Sri Radha Madanmohanji Temple is being inaugurated on this great land of knowledge and devotion, with the efforts of ISKCON. I am fortunate that I am getting the blessings of playing a role in this divine inauguration."
"I am satisfied that our government is also continuously working in the interest of the countrymen with full dedication and a spirit of service...Construction of toilets in every house, providing Ujjwala gas connection to every poor woman, providing tap water facility to every house, providing free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to every poor person, bringing every elderly person above the age of 70 years under the ambit of this facility, providing permanent houses to every homeless person, are the works done with this spirit of service and dedication...This spirit of service brings true social justice. It is a symbol of true secularism. Our government is connecting different pilgrim and religious places of the country through the Krishna Circuit. This circuit extends to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha," PM Modi said in his address.
"During colonialism, Srila Prabhupada took forward the importance of 'Ved, Vedant and Gita'. He did the ritual of linking Vedant to the consciousness of people. In 70 years, when people usually think that they have fulfilled their duty, that's when he began the mission of ISKCON," PM added.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi dedicated three state-of-the-art naval combat vessels to the nation during a commissioning ceremony at the Naval Dockyard.
The vessels, INS Surat (destroyer), INS Nilgiri (stealth frigate), and INS Vaghsheer (submarine), are part of the Indian Navy's push for indigenously built warships and submarines. The simultaneous commissioning marked a significant milestone for the Navy, which has now entered a new phase of self-reliance in defense after 78 years of Independence.