On February 29th, 2024, in a monumental initiative to honor the 150th appearance anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC), in collaboration with the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), inaugurated an exhibit on the first floor of TOVP in Sri Mayapur Dham.

On 29th February 2024, in a monumental initiative to honor the 150th appearance anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC), in collaboration with the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), inaugurated an exhibit on the first floor of TOVP in Sridham Mayapur.

Spanning an impressive 2000 square feet, the exhibit titled “Revolutionary Acharya Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada” offers a comprehensive portrayal of Saraswati Thakur’s transcendental life and activities. It chronicles his entire life, from childhood to becoming a globally revered Acharya, showcasing his extraordinary erudition, unparalleled austerities, transformative teachings, prolific literary contributions, extensive travels, and fearless preaching, including establishing 64 maths across India. Rare artifacts, original publications, handwritten manuscripts, and photographic archives provide an intimate insight into his profound impact on Gaudiya Vaisnavism in India and beyond.

Dr. Sumanta Rudra, the Academic Dean of BRC, elaborates on the rigorous efforts behind the exhibit, “Fortunately, we have one of the best collections of archival documents dating back to 150-200 years. Sundar Gopal (Sourish Das), BRC’s Research Assistant and Curator, spent many months diligently going through each of these documents and thus curated this comprehensive exhibit. His dedicated efforts and unwavering commitment ensured that the exhibit truly captures the essence of Saraswati Thakur’s life and teachings. He was assisted by our team member Gopika Radhika Devi Dasi from Mayapur.”

Curated with meticulous attention to detail, the exhibit stands as the largest ever prepared for any Gaudiya Vaisnava Acarya in history, promising a captivating experience for all. Depicted on striking panels designed by Catalyst Ad and Events, a design firm renowned for their innovative excellence and national accolades, including a national award for Design Excellence, the presentation ensures a visually stunning and immersive journey.

This unprecedented endeavor coincides with UNESCO’s momentous acceptance of a proposal made by ISKCON via the Government of India to commemorate Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s 150th appearance anniversary, marking the first time a Vaisnava leader has been officially recognized and honored by the U.N. in this manner. Elaborating on the significance of this milestone, Gauranga Das stated, “ISKCON is famous for its deities, book distribution, kirtan, Govinda’s restaurants, and now, on the occasion of Saraswati Thakur’s 150th appearance anniversary, beginning with the TOVP, we want to unleash a global movement wherein every ISKCON temple develops a first-class library and exhibition facility where the books, journals and chronicles of all our Acaryas, as captured by the BRC, are displayed.”

Braja Vilasa Das, the Co-Director of ISKCON Mayapur and Vice Chairman of TOVP, reflects on the profound impact of this undertaking, “One of Saraswati Thakur’s famous statements was pran ache yar, ye hetu prachar: ‘If you have life, then you should preach.’ We all have life; hence, we should all devote ourselves to preaching. The TOVP and BRC have thus come together to make this exhibit as a unique offering for Saraswati Thakur’s 150th appearance anniversary—so that devotees may get inspiration from his life story and go to every town and village preaching the message of Lord Caitanya.”

With deep gratitude, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center thanks the following spiritual guides, patrons, and supporters for their kind blessings and invaluable contributions:

Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami, Bhakti Sundar Sannyasi, Jayapataka Swami, Gopal Krishna Goswami, Bhakti Charu Swami, Bhakti Bibudh Bodhayan Swami, Devamrita Swami, Harivilas, Radhanath Swami, Bhakti Vikas Swami Maharaj, Smita Krishna Swami, and Bhakti Purushottam Swami.

Hari-sauri Das, Ambarisa Das, Urmila Devi Dasi, Ramesta Das, Gauranga Das, Krishna Chandra Das, Braja Vilasa Das, Dayaram Das, Ananga Mohan Das, Yudhisthira Govinda Das, Radha Raman Das, Ramdas Das (Mandala Publications), Pranava Das, Radhika Raman Das, Gopal Hari Das, Keshava Das, Namamrita Devi Dasi, Radha Giridhari Das, Sri Vallabha Das, Ramesh C. Patel, Bharti R. Patel, Akrura Das, Saci Tanuj Das, Vraja Kishore Das, Adi Purusa Das, Damodar Hari Das, Krishna Kirtan Das, Ram Mukunda Das, Prem Niketan Das, Satya-sara Das, Anand Manaktala, Vraja Raman Das, Shyam Hari Das, Rasamrita Das, Sundarananda Das, Sujith Sengupta, Vishwatma Gopinath Das, Radhananda Das, Kiran Rapolu, Revati Devi Dasi, Shaligram Krishna Das, Madhava Chandra Das, Srinivas Saran Das, Sadananda Das, Acyuta Lila Das. Kalyani Radhika Devi Dasi, Haridas Varya Das, Krishna Chaitanya Das, Amarender Bilapati, Mahendra Singh Rawat, Navina Krishna Das, Srngi Das, Ansul Agarwal. Hare Krishnananda Das, Braja Kripa Das, Madhava Gauranga Das, Lavanya Mangal Devi Dasi, Gaur Candra Das, Aristaha Das, Radharadhya Das, Madhusevita Das, Mahesh Advani, Raghunath Priya Das, Aradhya Bhagavan Das, Rameshwar Das, Irene Dove, Ekatma Madhava Das, Caranarenu Devi Dasi, Sakhi Rai, Jayasri Devi Dasi, Prahalada Bhakta Das.