Vraj Bhumi celebrated New Year with the devotees coming from around the world. Millions of devotees from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and other places thronged Vrindavan and other towns of Vraja on the eve of New Year. The streets were crowded with them, everyone wanting to spend the beginning of the New Year under the divine shelter.
Banke Bihari Temple attracted the most crowd and the number of visitors record for the past several years was broken. The other temples were crowded as well. Temples like Shri Krishna Janmasthan and Dwarkadheesh Mandir of Mathura along with Radha Rani Mandir in Barsana, Nand Bhavan in Nanadgaon and temples in Gokul were also overflowing with people.
Many people also came to Vraja to perform the Giriraj Parikrama in Govardhan. The people present in Vrindavan wanted to begin the first day of the New Year with the lordships of Vrindavan, hence they gathered at the Saptadevalaya temples of Radha Raman, Radha Shyam Sundar and Radha Damodar for the Mangala Aarti that takes place before sunrise.
Several cultural events were also organized on the 31st and the 1st. Chaitanya Sampradayacharya Acharya Shri Venu Gopal Goswami sang melodious bhajans at Bhramar Ghat and Shri Radha Raman Mandir. The devotees who were in the audience became ecstatic and started dancing. A devotee also donated a silver alter to Radha Rani at the Radha Rani Mandir in Barsana.
