Mayapur | West Bengal |

Mayapur | West Bengal |

Standing at the junction of river Ganga and Jalangi, Mayapur is a laidback city with lovely views and plenty of temples, making it ideal for multitudes of team. Mayapur is a popular Vaishnavite pilgrim centre founded by Bhakti saint Vinod Thakur. It is believed that Lord Krishna's incarnate Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born here in 1486 AD. 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 Buddhist converge and exist in harmony.

Best Time To Visit

As one of the holiest cities, Mayapur greets a large number of devotees all year round; however, the best time to visit Mayapur is in the winters from November to February when the temperature is pleasant. Another favourite time to visit Mayapur among tourists are the monsoons when the early showers rejuvenate the surroundings.

Summer season should ideally be avoided since the temperature may rise to 30 degrees making sightseeing unbearable.

Place Of Interest

Iskcon Chandrodaya Temple

Located in Mayapur in West Bengal, India; the ISKCON Temple is an important religious site for Hindus as well as for people who believe in other religions. One of the over 650 temples that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has established all across the globe, the place is always buzzing with devotees who come here to pay their respects to Sri Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. The sprawling and lush green complex is enormous and spacious and has multiple places of worship in it. Larger than life idols of all prominent lords are installed in the temple, and these beautiful images especially catch the attention of the visitor. 

The key areas in the temple complex include the main temple, an idol of the founder of ISKCON, Acharya Srila Prabhupada, the presiding deities Sri Sri Radha Madhava and an idol of Lord Nrisimhadeva that finds its way in the centre of the compound. The highlight of the temple, no doubt, is Srila Prabhupada's Pushpa Samadhi Mandir, or the shrine of Srila Prabhupada. This shrine is a grand and majestic marble dome that glistens beautifully when the soft rays of the Sun touch it at sunrise and sunset. Other than this, the temple is also famous for its Govinda Restaurant, a standard feature of all ISKCON temples, that serves delicious and freshly prepared pure vegetarian dishes. All in all, this is a must visit place for all people, whether worshippers of Lord Krishna or not, to discover the magical healing powers of the Divine.

Yoga Peeth

This temple is the birth place of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and the structure is built in white marbled towers 30 m high. Yoga Peeth in Mayapur is a center of excellence teaching Yoga, Vedas and meditation. It is assumed that Chaitanya was born under a neem tree. This tree is still seen there in the premise of Yoga Peeth. There is a hut which contains the clay models and statues displaying the life and philosophies of Saint. 

A small shrine devoted to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur who raised the fund for building the original temple is also located nearby.

Sri Chaitanya Math

Founded by Acharya of the Gaudiya Math named Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja, the Math is dedicated to Radha Govinda and has four altars dedicated to the Vaishnava acharyas namely Sri Nimbarka, Sri Madhvacarya, Sri Ramanujacarya and Sri Visnuswami.

Chand Kazi's Samadhi

hand Kazi, a person with Islamic faith, was the magistrate of Navadvipa who opposed the Harinam Sankirtana movement in Mayapur and broke the mridanga of Srivash Pandit, who led the Sankritana. Later Kazi became an ardent disciple of Shree Chaitanya Prabhu and the Samadhi commemorates his transformation.

Sri Devananda Gaudiya Math

Sri Gaura Gadadhara Gaudiya Math, is an ancient temple situated at Champahatti in one of the islands in Navadvipa known as Koladvipa, was established by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja. It is home to Lord Gaura and Gadadhara.

How To Reach

Mayapur has a well-maintained system of roadways. The city is connected with different parts of West Bengal. The nearest airport to Mayapur is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Trains from Howrah Junction pass through Nabadwip Dham. From Nabadwip Dham, you can take a taxi to reach Mayapur. Taxi and bus services are also available to reach Mayapur.

By Road

Mayapur has a good system of roadways, which connect it to different parts of West Bengal. It makes it easy for the tourists to reach Mayapur. The nearest bus stand to Mayapur is at Krishnanagar. It is 20 km away from Mayapur. Taxi Service is available from different parts of West Bengal to reach Mayapur.

By Train

There is no railway station at Mayapur. You can take a train from Howrah Junction Railway Station. The train passes through Nabadwip Dham. From the Nabadwip Dham Railway Station, you can take a taxi to reach Mayapur. It is at a distance of 30 km from Mayapur.

Local Transport in Mayapur

There are buses, rickshaw, autos, and also boats to cross the river.

Where To Stay

There is possible you can stay at ISKCON Mayapur. There are rooms available for the guest to stay there. The ISKCON mayapur located to many near to tourist place so you can visit easily. There are rooms are very neat & clean to stay and provide good facilities at an affordable price. There are many hotel guest house available in affordable price.