Laddu Gopal has got new clothes (1) (Pictures)

Baby Krishna

The second Deity of Nimaihuset, Laddu Gopal (Krishna as sweet-loving baby), was not brought and installed by Guru, but "showed up in a mysterious way", as it is called. 

Laddu Gopal is from the holy city Vrindavan, India, and turned up in Nimaihuset two years ago, after Tulasi devi dasi, who is very good at making sweets, every evening for two weeks had offered laddus (a sweet-ball) to the altar Deity Nimai. Laddu Gopal ("Laddu" as in the sweet-balls that His extended hand is always asking for) came via a sannyasi, who brought Him from Vrindavan to Ecuador, where the swedish temple president Madhu Mangala das strongly felt that he should buy the Deity from the sannyasi, and then that he should give Him to his visiting father and tell him to bring the Deity to Sweden and give to Nimaihuset. From Vrindavan to Nimaihuset, via Ecuador, in a couple of days...

Needless to say, making laddus (and other sweets) for Laddu Gopal is a big issue in Nimaihuset. (We also give Him extra sugar in the tea and on the strawberries etc, and last midsummer we offered the swedish soda classic Sockerdricka to Him, which, as far as can be judged, was gladly accepted.) Some time ago the owner of indian restaurant chain Masala Kitchen wanted to donate to the temple, and hearing about Laddu Gopal he sent one of his cooks with a 12 kg-box of chickpea flour and a 4 kg-can of butter-ghee (the main ingredients in laddus, besides sugar). That is a lot of laddus...

New friends of Nimaihuset Harish and Surekh from India went to Bangalore over christmas (they claim everything there seemed artificial and false and that they are happy to be back in Sweden and Nimaihuset). Among the donations to the temple they brought back from India was new clothes for Laddu Gopal - four sets! So today we tried them out to find a new everyday-dress for Him. Subal das came by and took pictures.

An immediate favourite. Goes well with the altar and the altar-covering. Fancy but still comparatively low-key. Love the silver-shiny fluff!

Nyaah... fantastic colours, but a bit too... "India". Doesn't go so well with the rest of the altar either. Rather for bigger celebrations than everyday.

Myaah... both yes and no. The green is nice: pure, simple and low-key. And Laddu Gopal looks very pretty in this one. Still quite bright though. Another one for special occasions, not an everyday-dress.

This is nice. Beautiful red. Beautiful fit. Definitely an option. But the choice was...

...the blue. Looks natural, cozy, low-key, yet fancy and beautiful. Goes well with the rest of the altar too.

 With the purple home-knitted winter-blanket on.

And another picture of that. (Gurumaharaj to the right.)