Olivia, Acacia and I joined Ainsley's 2nd grade class for a unique field trip to the Here Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork earlier this week. I had no idea they had a temple in Utah let alone 25 minutes from here. It was really interesting.

I ran across this and several others blogs regarding our India Fest held here on September 12th. We'll share them with you one by one over the next few days. There is a great video of the fireworks at the end. Editor

Sadhana and Merlin came to us last June from Ashville North Carolina. They had attended a bimonthly Hare Krishna program there headed by Vijaya Das and Kalindi Devi. They came across our web site and were very impressed with the many programs of the temple here. Sadhana is a web designer, whose parents happen to live in Provo, Utah, and Merlin is a talented writer.

Eight foot high statues of Sita and Ram overlooked the picturesque scene from the illuminated area around the waterfall. As Ram returned to Ayodhya and brought virtue and peace with him, so all prayed for the waxing of light and love in their lives.

The festival of light is the annual festival celebrated by Hindus in India to commemorate the return of the avatar of God, Sri Rama, to His ancestral kingdom after an exile of 14 years and many adventures.

Why do we celebrate Diwali? It's not just the festive mood in the air that makes you happy, or just that it's a good time to enjoy before the advent of winter. There are 10 mythical and historical reasons why Diwali is a great time to celebrate. And there are good reasons not just for Hindus but also for all others to celebrate this great Festival of Lights.

This was such a crazy but fun day! Jessie wanted to see the Hare Krishna temple down in Spanish Fork and visit, so when she saw there would be an India Fest held there, she had to go. I got pretty excited too, and brought Angela and Shauntelle along for the ride!

"Breathtaking!" "I'm speechless! Such a beautiful festival!" "Captivating."

Series of 9 Photos of last Saturday's India fest from the Deseret News web site.

We left in time to make it back down to Spanish Fork for India Fest. This is the second year we've been. We love the Krishna temple. Some of the events, like Holi, are so packed (and rightfully so) that it's really hard with the kids there. India Fest is much mellower--still plenty of people, but we were able to get the best dinner (curry, rice, spinach paneer, lentil chips, hallava, juice--even little pita pizzas)..

The story of Lord Rama, a pageant that has captivated audiences for thousands of years throughout India, Nepal, Laos, Bhutan and many more countries is being celebrated this Saturday in Spanish Fork.

Utah Valley's Krishna Temple, located on South Main St. in Spanish Fork, will host the 23rd Annual Festival of India on Saturday, September 12th from 4 pm. After 22 increasingly successful editions of the India Fest, few people in Utah County are ignorant of the fact that, once a year, you can go to India without spending a lot of money. You can have India right in the middle, of all places, ... Spanish Fork!

More than 40,000 visitors tour the temple annually. Hot vegetarian meals are fed to those who hunger physically as well as spiritually, and gifts, books, and apparel are sold as souvenirs. Such is the peaceful coexistence of faiths."

The Krishna Temple at 8628 S Main St. in Spanish Fork has planned a transcendental birthday party for Saturday August 15. to celebrate The Appearance Day of Shree Krishna. From 8 pm there will be Indian dance, drama, musical concerts, hot meals, exhibits, and gifts available to all.

Shauri invited all the Prabhupada disciples for lunch on his verandah Monday afternoon. There were 18, by Caru's count, and among the old geezers pictured here are, Pushkara, Adi Karta, Sarva Drk, Haripada, Phalini, Shashi Kala, Candrasekhar, Dulal Chandra, Tri Shanti, Vyapika, Shauri, Jayadwaita Swami, Sivananda, Madan Mohini, Nitya Trpta, Ekanath, and Rakshana.