History, Importance, Timings, Festivals, Architecture, Activities, Interesting Facts and Travel Guide of Shri Chandrodaya Temple, ISKON Mayapur, West Bengal, India
ISKCON Mayapur is the world headquarters of ISKCON. ISKCON has a big campus in Mayapur which includes the Chandrodaya Mandir, the Temple of The Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), Srila Prabhupada’s Pushpa Samadhi Mandir, Srila Prabhupada’s Bhajan Kutir, Goshala, Mayapur Institute for Higher Education (MIHE), Bhaktivedanta Academy (boys’ gurukul) and Sri Mayapur International School. The temple was built to honour the great saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is worshipped as an incarnation of Lord Krishna himself. The cultural and historical richness of Mayapur makes this temple especially popular amongst the devotees.
Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir is revered as one of the most auspicious places of worship by the followers of the Sanatan Dharma. Every year devotees come here to perform a Parikrama of the nine islands known as Navdvip to honor the mighty saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This lasts for a total of seven days and is believed to be the best time to set foot in Mayapur. The energy and exuberance of Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir are unmatchable. The restful surroundings and the temple’s splendid structure attract thousands of people to this place of worship.
HISTORY of ISKCON Mayapur
Sri Mayapur Chandrodya Mandir is revered as the spiritual headquarter of the ISCKON movement. It is also the birthplace of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu which makes the temple so highly regarded amongst the Hindu devotees. The story behind the construction of Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir is that the devotees believed that Lord Krishna took birth in the form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu five hundred years ago and his brother Lord Balaram graced the earth with this presence as Nityananda Prabhu. Both of them appeared during the Kali Yuga to saves the peoples’ souls. They taught their devotees Harinama Sankirtan which was based on the teachings found in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagvad Gita and Shrimad Bhagvatam. They showered their love over everyone irrespective of any merit or demerit. This philosophy is still practiced as the shrine where everyone is allowed and treated as an equal.
The followers of Lord Krishna visit Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir to seek his blessings and learn about the life of Chaitanya Mahaprahu on the place of his birth. He laid the foundation for the Bhakti movement all over the country, including Mayapur, which is now widely spread and has its roots deep into our culture. Devotees of the Vaishnavism sect come here looking for his blessings and to connect with their inner selves. This divine temple is visited by thousands of worshippers from all over the world, every year. The shrine exudes not only strong spiritual energy but also boasts of splendid architecture.
ARCHITECTURE
The construction of the temple started in the year 2010 and is expected to be completed by 2022. The architecture of the temple is a mixture of East and West and will have first of its kind pujari floor which will be spread over 2.5 acres of land. It has 20m long Vedic Chandeliers with a temple floor of 60 meters in diameter. The area of the temple is around 70,000 sq. ft. and it stands 380 feet high. The temple is lined with Blue Bolivian Marble which was imported from Vietnam and also procured from India, thereby giving a western look to the temple.
FESTIVALS CELEBRATED
Vaishnava festivals are celebrated here throughout the year at the Iskon temple of mayapur. Worth special mention are the Gaura Purnima festivities like Navadvipa Mandal Parikrama and Kirtan Mela which attract many thousands of devotees every year to this in captivating tourist sight. The festival is celebrated with great pomp and show, distributing books and magazines to thousands of interested visitors or devotees.
TIMINGS
Mangala arati - 4.30am (closed at 5.00am)
General Darshan arthi - 7.00 am
Srila Prabhupada-Bhagavatham Bhoga arati - 8.00 am 2.00 pm
closed at 1.00pm, reopens at 4.00pm
Sandhya arthi - 6.30pm
Class on Bhagavad Gita(Bengali) - 7.45pm (cloesd at 8.30pm)
Sundays - 6.00am to 9:30pm
Temple Timings: The temple is open all days a week from 7 am in the morning till 12:30 pm, and then reopens from 4 pm till 8 pm the evening.
How to Reach Mayapur, One of the Holiest Site of West Bengal, India
Mayapur, being one of the most important religious site of West Bengal, lots of people across the world visits here throughout the year which makes Mayapur more convenient in terms of travel, accommodation and other services. Mayapur is located at 12 km from Navadwip, 129 km from Kolkata, 242 km from GangaSagar, 138 km from Durgapur, 86 km from Belur, 95 km from Tarakeshwar. The nearest airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. It is 117 km away from Mayapur. From the airport, you can get a taxi to reach Mayapur. Nabadwip Dham Railway Station is the nearest railway junction from you can take a taxi to reach Mayapur. It is at a distance of 30 km from Mayapur. You can easily reach here at Mayapur by road from any part of the state of West Bengal. Taxi Service is available from different parts of West Bengal to reach Mayapur.
