Tulasi Puja of Jaipur: A 1976 Discovery Story

In 1976, a rare and powerful recording was captured at the historic Radha Govindaji temple in Jaipur. In a recent conversation, devotees Uttamasloka dasa and Gopati Das shared the story of how this high-energy Tulasi Puja was recorded and how it eventually spread across the globe to Montreal, Toronto, and England.

Tracking Down the Sound of Jaipur

The recording was born out of a mission to visit Deity carvers. Guided by his God-sister Mekala, who lived in Jaipur, Uttamasloka dasa found himself immersed in the city's intense morning devotion.

"It's amazing, going to Mangal arotik, the whole city, everybody's just all going to this one place at four in the morning, boom, to the temple and big Mangal arotik." — Uttamasloka dasa

Later that evening, the Tulasi Puja recording took place, facilitated by Mekala's local knowledge of "when to go and where to go".

"Blow This Western Guy's Mind"

When the recording began, Uttamasloka was standing in the very center of a seasoned kirtan group. He was positioned directly next to a lead singer who had performed that specific puja every night for 40 years.

"I remember there was one guy with a dolak and there was a Bengali guy, a Bengali Vaishnava with a khol. And he was excited to be looking at me. They were all looking at me because that was like they were performing for me because I'm the white elephant, right? Sure, with the dodi and the sika. So, okay, let's blow this western guy's mind. So they did. But I was right there in the middle, right next to the guy who sang it every night for like 40 years." — Uttamasloka dasa

The proximity to the drummers created a visceral, intense audio experience. Uttamasloka recalls, "I was very close to him. And the center was where all the drummers were and everything. So that's why it was so intense, because I'm standing now, all these drums hammering away".

From Jaipur to the West

The master tape of this session did not stay in India. It was carried to the West, where it influenced the Tulasi Puja standards of several major temples:

Chicago: This style of Tulasi Puja modeled after Radha Govinda Temple Tulasi Puja worship was first intrduced to ISKCON Chicago in 1976 by Uttamasloka Das. For a remastered version of a Chicago Tulasi Puja click on this link: https://soundcloud.com/uttamasloka-dasa/tulasi-puja-chicago-1977?si=cc771f81572d4711a06b3716d071b231&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
England: Sripati took the tape to England and "taught everybody there so it spread around well".
Montreal: Nandikesvara, a musician, brought the Jaipur style to Montreal. Gopati Das recalls, "that was how Nandikesvara offered Tulasi Puja" while running the temple restaurant there.
Toronto: Visvakarama adopted the style for use in Toronto.

Dovetailing Natural Talent

The adoption of this "incredible stuff" was made possible by devotees who were willing to embrace deep musical traditions. Uttamasloka noted that many musicians refused to "stifle" their artistic nature, enriching the movement’s experience.

Gopati Das reflected on how this follows the tradition of great teachers:

"Reading about the stories about Lord Chaitanya and Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and Narottam Das Thakur, along with Srila Prabhupada, of how they chose specific people with musical and devotional talents to lead kirtans... Natural talent and abilities, when the opportunity arises, can be dovetailed wonderfully in Krishna's service and appreciated. It is for His pleasure and we reap the benefits." — Gopati Das

Originally recorded 1976 and remastered in 2024 by Uttamasloka Das (ACBSP)

Full Transcript of Discussion:

Uttamasloka dasa

I had to go to Jaipur to do some arrangements for deities, because that's where all the deities were made. And Mekala, one of our God sisters, was living in Jaipur at the time, so she knew everybody and everything. And so I went there near the end of the Vrindavan festival in 1976 with her. So she took me to Radha Govindaji's for mangal arotik. It's amazing, going to Mangal arotik, the whole city, everybody's just all going to this one place at four in the morning, boom, to the temple and big Mangal arotik.

I then went later that evening, and that's when the Tulsi puja was recorded. So it was because Mekala knew when everything was happening and when to go and where to go. So that's how I ended up recording it.

When we got there, it was already happening. So there was no, before and after, there was no talking. I mean, I didn't speak their language anyway. And I remember there was one guy with a dolak and there was a Bengali guy, a Bengali Vaishnava with a khol. And he was excited to be looking at me. They were all looking at me because that was like they were performing for me because I'm the white elephant, right? Sure, with the dodi and the sika. So, okay, let's blow this western guy's mind. So they did. But I was right there in the middle, right next to the guy who sang it every night for like 40 years. That's what I came to learn after. I was very close to him. And the center was where all the drummers were and everything. So that's why it was so intense, because I'm standing now, all these drums hammering away.

Sripati took that tape to England. He taught everybody there so it spread around well. Nandikesvara, who was also a musician, brought it to Montreal. Visvakarama did it in Toronto too.

Gopati Das

And I remember when I lived in Montreal, running the restaurant there, that was how Nandikesvara offered Tulasi Puja. Of course, he was part of our inner circle, Sripati and Visvakarma were too. Everybody in that circle seemed to have adopted it.

Uttamasloka dasa

That's the beauty. All these musicians, they're not going to stifle that part of their being because look at how enriched our experience was because we allowed ourselves to partake of all this incredible stuff, which many other devotees would have thought was questionable just because they didn't know.

Gopati Das

Reading about the stories about Lord Chaitanya and Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and Narottam Das Thakur, along with Srila Prabhupada, of how they chose specific people with musical and devotional talents to lead kirtans. And so many of the things that happened in ISKCON, so many of the wonderful things happened because of these were inherent talents that devotees brought with them and subsequently manifested as beautiful kirtans, cooking, Deity dressing, theater, etc, in the temples. The devotional arts are an important part of our movement.

Natural talent and abilities, when the opportunity arises, can be dovetailed wonderfully in Krishna's service and appreciated. It is for His pleasure and we reap the benefits.