Hundreds of devotees from across the world packed into ISKCON’s New Vrindaban temple in West Virginia this past Mother's Day weekend for a mega devotional chanting session, or “Maha Nama-Yajna.”

Mayapur ISKCON devotees took their seventy-strong devotional chanting party, complete with sacred food to distribute, to Krishnanagar this April 26. The town is the administrative head quarters of Nadia District in West Bengal, and is famous as the place where Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura worked as a magistrate while re-discovering Navadvipa’s holy places.

Dr. Hansa Medley wakes up at 3:30 a.m. once a week and walks to the Hare Krishna Temple just around the corner from her small bungalow in northwest Houston. There she joins her mother, sister and three other devotees to prepare the temple's nine deities for the day. Before the first Arati ceremony at 4:30 a.m., they carefully lay out special outfits for eight statues, choosing coordinating jewelry and face paint.