BANGALORE: Call him Gopala, Govinda, Damodara, Govardhana or just Krishna, the dark lord playing the flute remains a universal darling of the masses. You cannot help getting mesmerised under his spell against a backdrop of countless devotees, chanting his name and dancing in raptures, the rythm of cymbals adding to the enchantment.

At the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple here which celebrated Govardhana pooja on Tuesday evening, (one of the very few temples in South India to do so), the vibes of having a direct interface with the lord was a very palpable feeling. The temple is also simultaneously celebrating Damodara Lila in the current month of Kartik, which falls from October 24 to November 23 this year. Govardhana pooja is celebrated to commemorate lifting of the Govardhana Hill by Lord Krishna to protect residents of Mathura-Brindavan from the wrath of Lord Indra who, angered by Krishna's claim to supremacy had sent rains and thunderbolts charging down on the twin-cities.

When residents approached Krishna for help, he asked them not to panic. He advised them to take shelter in the shade of Govardhana Hill, which he then lifted on the little finger of his left hand. "Damodara Lila embodies tying up of the more mischievous incarnation of Balagopala (Krishna as a child) by mother Yashodara for stealing butter and then breaking butterpots," says Madhu Pandita Das, president of the ISKCON temple. The president, who happens to be a M.Tech from IIT, Mumbai, took the Diksha in 1980 and is a symbol of the growing trend of the technocrat, who is surrendering to the spiritual call.

In fact, "There is a good percentage of ex-IT professionals, including those from the industry favourite Infosys, who are fulltime devotees at the temple," says Chitranga Chaitanya Das, who was an industrial designer at one time. "Govardhana, like 'Tulsi, is worshipped as an entity. Therefore, there is a crown at the head of the idol of Govardhana, which is worshipped like a shila," says Madhu Pandita Das. In fact, there is a Annakuta which is a Govardhana hill made of Krishna prasadam just outside the sanctum sanctorum's main door.

As part of the Govardhana pooja, the idols of Radhe-Krishna were taken out of the temple on a palanquin. While the couple was swung to and fro on the shoulders of devotees, the temple cows were garlanded and fed bananas and jaggery. Later, ghee lamps were lit up inside the temple by devotees. In fact, the entire Kartik month is celebrated as a Deepa utsav during evenings in the temple.