The Bhaktivedanta Archives (BA) has informed ISKCON News about the purpose and the progress of a new security vault to house the legacy of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Purpose:
• Srila Prabhupada’s legacy needs to be transferred to and housed in a larger and more secure environment, an upgraded storage vault that can withstand tornadoes, blazing fires (6 hours), flooding and theft.
• The BA needs to begin building a 500-square foot secure enclosure that will be constructed from high grade 5000 psi (maximum density/water proof) concrete with 8” thick walls.
• This room, like the current temporary one, will also include climate control and security.

Reason:
• The current room/vault while serving its minimal purpose is now too small to house all the conserved holdings and is not built of concrete and rebar.
• Many years ago there was a fire at the Gita Nagari farm that destroyed important documents. The BA therefore wants to prevent a recurrence by constructing this professional vault.
• The understanding of preserving this transcendental treasure in a professional manner that will last for many centuries is of utmost importance.

Overview of Contents to be Placed in the Vault
➢ 4,500 original hand-written and typed documents
➢ 9,000+ original letters to and from Srila Prabhupada
➢ 81,000 original book manuscripts
➢ 200,000+ original photo slides, negatives and contact sheets
➢ BBT and BTG original art
➢ 4” x 5” transparencies of book production from the BBT art department
➢ original audio lectures, conversations, cassettes and reels, publications, books and magazines
➢ microfiche (project vani)
➢ original audio transcripts
➢ dozens of Lilamrta interviews
➢ early ISKCON advertisements and articles
➢ original diaries [Jaladuta and 26 2nd Ave]
➢ original BTG and small book publication art
➢ original videos and film held by the BA
➢ original books

Financial Update
The contractor estimate is $69,700. In reality, $75,000 should cover all the expenses, which includes incidentals, e.g. shelving, alarms, electrical upgrades, moving and storage during construction, etc.
Thus far, $31,000 has been donated with $20,000 committed in pledges.
The total amount still to be collected is $24,000.

The Bhaktivedanta Archives welcome any donations for the noble cause to preserve ISKCON’s greatest treasure, Srila Prabhupada’s legacy. For more information about the Archives, as well as how to donate, please visit www.vedabase.com, www.prabhupada.com