In continuance of our previous journey of Destination of West Bengal now we are running through chapter -2 Destination West Bengal , a brief details about the holy place of Shri Lord Krishna Radha and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

About Mayapur

Mayapur is located on the banks of the  ganga river, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal,India, 130 km north of Kolkata (calcutta). The headquarters of ISKON are situated in Mayapur and it is considered a holy place by a number of other traditions within Hinduism, but is of special significance to followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, regarded as a special incarnation of Lord Krishna in the mood of Radha. Standing at the junction of river Ganga and Jalangi, Mayapur is a laid back city with lovely views and plenty of temples, making it ideal for multitudes of team,It is visited by over a million pilgrims annually.

Mayapur is famous for Chandrodaya Temple (first temple established by ISKCON in Mayapur), Samadhi of Prabhupada (temple dedicated to the founder of ISKCON), Shree Chaitanyamath (the birth place of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu), Goswami Maharaj Temple of Dashavatar and Chand Kazi’s Samadhi. Located on the banks of confluence of Hooghly river and Jalangi, Mayapur is a religious centre and one of the nine dhams of the 9 holy islands. The 9 islands together looks like an eight-petaled lotus flower and are called Navadwipa which was earlier capital of Bengal. The islands are centered on Antardvipa (Mayapur) and are a part of Mayapur Township. Navadvipa is a famous temple town with about 185 temples. It is a place where all beliefs, Shaiva, Vaishnava and Buddhi

Mode of Travel

By AIR There is no direct flight to Mayapur. Therefore Kolkata is the nearest Airdrome of Mayapur. Taxi or cab is always available from Airport. It takes around 4 hrs approx to reah there.

By Train Howrah and Burdwan is the nearest rail head of Mayapur. Frequent train service is available to krishnanagar,Nadia from Kolkata’s Sealdah Station, then 18 km by auto  to Mayapur.

By bus which are available from all parts of West Bengal. Mayapur is well connected to all parts of the city through the bus route.

During the visit one can see “the huge headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)” and “a long stream of saffron-robed devotees chanting” the Devin mantra

“HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE..
HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE”

Accomodation in Mayapur

Mayapur offers many dharamshalas and homestays for tourists. Aashrams are also available but to enjoy the real beauty of mayapur

The best place to stay at within Iskon temple campus, Iskon Temple offers wide range of accommodation , from standard to super deluxe suite, for accommodation you can contact Mayapur Tourism or Iskon directly.the price are range from Rs. 200 to Rs.5000, but before going make sure your accommodation booking is confirmed, many times happens all rooms are fully booked, so get booking at least couple of weeks in advance.There are lots of Bhavans or Blocks for accommodation , like Gaddha bhavan, Chaitanya  bhavan, etc.

Places to visit in Mayapur

  • Iskcon Chandrodaya Temple- a wonderful place for the devotees of Lord Krishna and attracts lot of tourists from all over the world. The ambience of the temple is full of peace and serenity. The marvelous work of the temple and the tranquil atmosphere pulls the tourists to come and explore the place.ISKCON Mayapur campus where you will see the temple of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Panchatattva and Narsimha Deva, Chaitanya Leela exhibition, Goshala, Srila Prabhupada Samadhi Mandir, Srila Prabhupada Samadhi exhibition, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Janmasthana.
  • Sri Chaitanya Math- this is the Math that is dedicate to Lord Chaitanya and in this place feeds and give shelter to the needy and orphanage. Every day thousands of people are feed here which is termed as Bhog made in a very simple way but quite delicious.
  • Yoga Peeth-  it is a very attractive place which is the main focus of Mayapur. It is a temple that has been built at the birth place of Mahaprabhu Chaitanya. It also serves as a yoga centre where yoga, Vedas and meditation has been taught. The temple also has an idol of Radha Madava and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Food

The sacred food is distributed absolutely FREE for everyone and pilgrims collect their FULL meal coupons early in the morning at Sri Sri Radha-Madhava temple courtyard. Everyday morning 6am they start distributing coupon to individuals with a very nominal charges, so collect coupons as soon as possible as they are available for a limited period. Well regarding food, you wont gets lots of variety, but the food which are available have their own speciality.

The Menu: Kitchuri, Rice, Dal, mixed sabji, main seasonal sabji, chutny/ yogurt/papad and Sweet.

Along with the prsadam distribution there is one restaurant called Govindas Restaurant which is open throughout the day from 7:30am. to 9:00pm, t

here you have the option of foods menu, from which you can select the items and order , even the charges of this restaurant are not high, easily affordable, the speciality of this restaurant which i liked is Herbal Tea.