ISKCON Radha Shyamasundar Temple of Naperville, Illinois, celebrated its 2nd Janmashtami Tulabharam Fundraiser on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Ashton Place in Willowbrook, bringing together devotees, community leaders, business supporters, families and well-wishers for an inspiring evening of spirituality, generosity and community fellowship.
Bollywood Actress Ameesha Patel and spiritual speaker Govind Krishna Das were among the high-profile guests who joined the event.
The major fundraising celebration, held in the devotional spirit of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, raised approximately $600,000 toward Phase 3 construction of Phase 3 of ISKCON Naperville’s new temple project, organized announced at the event.
Phase 3 encompasses approximately 5,000 square feet across two floors and is designed to expand the temple’s facilities for worship, spiritual education, youth programs, cultural activities and community gatherings. Plans for the expansion include a Great Hall opening onto the temple room, classrooms and a preschool, a dedicated Tulsi and chanting room, and Govinda’s Cafe.
The four-hour celebration featured melodious kirtan, spiritual talks, live music, Raas and Garba, dinner prasadam, fellowship and fundraising.
Ameesha Patel, acclaimed for her work in Hindi and Telugu cinema, who has received several honors during her film career, including a Filmfare Award and Zee Cine Award, interacted with attendees raising the excitement with photo-opportunities.
Govind Krishna Das, widely known within the ISKCON community for his devotional kirtans, spiritual teachings and motivational presentations, emphasized that service offered to Lord Krishna with love and devotion can bring individuals and communities together for a higher spiritual purpose.
The fundraiser takes its name from the ancient devotional tradition of Tulabharam, the word combines tula, meaning a balance or weighing scale, and bharam, meaning weight.
Traditionally, a devotee or loved one sits on one side of a large balance while offerings such items as grains, fruits, sugar, jaggery, coins or other valuable items are placed on the opposite side until the two sides become balanced.
The offering symbolizes gratitude, humility, generosity and surrender to the Divine. Devotees also associate Tulabharam with a beloved pastime involving Lord Krishna and His queens Satyabhama and Rukmini.
According to the devotional tradition, Satyabhama attempted to balance Lord Krishna’s weight by placing her gold and jewels on the scale, but even her vast material wealth was insufficient. Rukmini then placed a single sacred Tulsi leaf, offered with pure love and devotion, and the scale balanced, signifying that the true value of an offering is measured not simply by its material worth, but by the sincerity, love and devotion with which it is given.
The program welcomed people of all ages and backgrounds, including those who may not regularly attend the temple, reflecting ISKCON Naperville’s effort to introduce the broader community to Krishna consciousness, devotional culture and the principle of selfless service.
The success of Tulabharam 2026 was made possible through the contributions of numerous individuals, families, volunteers, donors and businesses, including Patel Brothers, Ashton Place, Barsana Banquet Hall, Govinda’s, Malabar Jewellers, Matchless Gifts and UMAS. Other supporters included Air Tours Inc., Blessing Hands Caregiver, DJ Oza, Maa Ke Masale, MOU’s Collection, Parvotsav, Personal Mortgage Solutions, Simply South, Sree Financial Group and Voya Financial, among others. Organizers also recognized Pulikachal for its support of the Janmashtami