In my very first Travel Blog, I will talk about a place that is not just a pilgrim kind of place but also a cultural site, and the entire Bengali Medieval Literature circulates it.
The name of the place is Mayapur and it comes within the district Nadia of West Bengal, India.
This is the Birthplace of Gouranga Mahaprabhu who is also identified as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In Bengali Culture he is considered as an avatar of Lord Krsna and for the rest of the country, he is a saint and one of the famous personalities of the Bhakti Movement which originated in eighth-century south India (now Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and spread northwards. It swept over east and north India from the 15th century onwards, reaching its zenith between the 15th and 17th century CE. He (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) was born in the Hindu month of Falgun Purnima (Full Moon) during the noon and according to the English calendar, this date is calculated as 18th February 1486. He is born under a Neem Tree ( Azadirachta indica ). This Neem Tree still presents in the Mayapur, it is worshiped by locals.
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| Neem Tree under which Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Born |
This site is known as Sri Yoga-Pitha, a temple was constructed around it placing it at the center of the temple and it was constructed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur in 1893.
The Mayapur is situated at the confluence of two rivers, where the waters of the river Jalangi mix with the Ganga. It is located about 130 km north of Kolkata ( The city of Joy ) the capital of the state of West Bengal. Previously this place was known as Miyapur. Its history takes us into a journey of Social and Devotional Renaissance. Because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the first personality who broke many rules of society to uphold the True essence of Vedic Parampara and Universal Brotherhood. Born and brought up in a Brahmin family he learned Sanskrit and studied all the scriptures in the Navadwip Viswavidyalaya. He started the Sankirtan Movement to spread the teachings of Lord Krsna among the common men and to protest against the barbaric rulers of that time but in a humanitarian way means without using any weapons. This is brief info about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Full of greenery and sounds of birds and test of fresh air are what will make you feel alive. If you manage to walk up before sunrise and come out at your hotel's balcony or come out on the street then you will witness the Sunrise on the horizon which looks like nature admires your presence in the Mayapur and saying to you "A Very Good Morning".
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| Sunrise at Mayapur near Ganga |
Many small 2 stars to 3-star hotels can be found in the Mayapur the moment you step in. But, I will prescribe you to stay inside the Iskcon Mandir campus.
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| Iskcon Temple, Mayapur (Distance view) |
It will help you to test both the natural beauty and spiritual realms of the place. You can get rooms from Rs 100/- to Rs. 5000/- (Excluding GST) inside the Mandir campus. But, you have to book rooms before reaching there else it will only depend upon your luck to get a room. after reaching there you need to visit the Gada Bhavan Reception where you need to show a Government-sponsored Identification Proof (Pan Card, Aadhaar Card, Passport, etc.), and then after payment, you will get your room keys.
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| This room rates Rs.800/- |
Best Time to Visit:- During Winter ( December to February ) because in the summer temperature touches 45C. Two to Three days visit is enough for this destination.
Side Seen:- Lots of mandirs are present and each has its own story related to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to worship Radha Krsna so all those mandirs are dedicated to RadhaKrsna with different names just like Vrindavan; and each name owes a Leela of RadhaKrsna which teaches us a different aspect of Pream.
How to Travel:- If you do not leave in Bengal then you need to reach Kolkata first by flight and if you want to travel on the train then you have two options one Howrah Station and the second is Sealdha Station. If you chose Howrah then after reaching there you need to take Katwa Local which will drop you at the Navadwip Station. After reaching there you can take ToTo to reach Ganga Ghat from there you need to take a Boat to reach Mayapur. And if you chose Sealdha then after reaching there you need to take Krishnanagar Local which will drop you at the Krishnanagar Station. After arriving there you to take ToTo which will take you to Ganga Ghat and from there you can take a Boat to reach Mayapur.
Travel Cost:- Katwa Local Rate Rs.25/-, Krishnanagar Local Rate Rs. 25/-, ToTo Rate from Navadwip to Ganga Ghat is 10 to 15 rupees and ToTo Rate from Krishnanagar to Ganga Ghat is Rs.20/- to Rs.30/- and the Boat rate is same both the site which is Rs.2/- to Rs.3/-. All Boats are Mechanical.
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| Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, Mayapur |
Food:- If you decide to live inside Iskcon Campus then the Food you will get inside the campus. From Breakfast to Dinner. Gada Bhavan has a restaurant for breakfast, for lunch you need to buy a coupon, they called it Prasadam, each coupon cost Rs.30/- and after buying coupon you need to stand in a queue which is quite long and there you need to spend at least 1hr to reach the place where they serve you the Food, or you can have food at Gada Bhavan restaurant which is costly and you need to complete your lunch within noon because later that shop closes. So, the best option is to stand in the queue for food and I can assure you that standing won't make you disappointed. Moving on to Dinner, so for dinner, you again need to visit Gada Bhavan for coupons, they start selling coupons from 6 pm onwards and continues till 7:30 pm. you need to grab your coupon within this time frame and dinner starts around 8:30 pm. Food's quality and quantity are Good but you will get only Vegetarian Food inside the campus because it is a Vaisnava Organization.
Caution:- No intoxicated items (Cigarette, Bidi, Cannabis, Pan Masala, etc) are allowed; if you are caught then it is a punishable act. Beer, Wine, etc. are also not allowed. Food Items that have Eggs, Onion, and garlic in them are also not allowed.
How to Book rooms:- You can book rooms via the internet and phone. If you want to Book via the internet click on the
Link 1:- visit Mayapur
Link 2:- Gada-Bhavan link
Address:- Gada Bhavan, BBT Road ISKCON Mayapur, West Bengal 741313
Phone number:- +91 9474751202
Land number:- 03472 245620 ( 10 am - 5 pm)
Lesson:- I already visit this place 4 times, because from my home it is three hours away and each time I visit this place I have experienced an unknown connection with this place. I witnessed the Universal Brotherhood and I learned not every time we need an extreme way to solve social issues sometimes only Renaissance can do it nicely. I also learned being humble is the best attitude one person can adopt in his or her life but I also get to know only a few people who can able to adopt this, few others will only pretend to be humble and the rest will ignore this like a shit. Because being humble is very tough. I also learned compassion is what a person must require to attain his or her goal in life.
May RadhaKrsna bless you,
Thank you👦
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