ISKCON Mayapur

Getting there

• By air

  The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.

• By train

  The nearest railway station is Nabadwip Dham, and local trains run there regularly from Howrah.

• By road

  Hindustan Times puts the temple 130 km from Kolkata. The region can be reached by road and by rail.

Why devotees come here

ISKCON Mayapur is the global headquarters of ISKCON, in Mayapur town, Nadia district, West Bengal. Its Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is described as the largest religious monument in the world once finished, with opening scheduled for 2027.

Mayapur is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a 15th-century Vaishnava saint whom followers consider the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna. Bhaktivinoda Thakur identified the town as his true birthplace in 1894. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada later founded Mayapur as a place of pilgrimage in the 20th century. As ISKCON's global headquarters, the temple is of particular significance to followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Mayapur is a pilgrimage town in the Nabadwip block of Nadia district.

The area lies 11 metres above mean sea level. The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is a modern temple and planetarium complex, under construction since 2009 in the Ganges Delta, where the Ganges and Jalangi rivers meet. Its blue dome is inspired by the Capitol Building and carries Vedic cosmological features such as Mount Meru.

The main altar of Sri Sri Radha Madhav Mandir holds a life-size Radha Madhav, surrounded by the Ashta-sakhis, the eight principal gopi friends. The complex is dedicated to the Pancha Tattva deities, Radha Madhava and Narasimha. The Narasimha deity was installed after the temple was attacked by dacoits in 1986.

Festivals

• During Rath YatraRath Yatra

  Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are brought to the temple from Rajapur, five kilometres away. In one Rath Yatra news report, the Mangal Aarti began at 4:30 in the morning.

Tips for your visit

• The outer walls are decorated with terra-cotta art depicting descriptions of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
• Each storey can accommodate 10,000 devotees, who can pray, sing and dance.

Questions people ask