The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (ToVP) team has announced the launch of a new website, tovp360.org, which offers a virtual tour through the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, in Mayapur, India, one of the largest temples in the world. The virtual-reality panoramas in this site will show every nook and corner of the magnificent temple. From 24 different places, people can see all around and look both above and below to get a feel of this sacred space.
Kalash Installation Begins at the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium
After several weeks of assembling the titanium nitrate kalashes, they have finally reached the final stage of commencing their installation on top of the TOVP Domes and Chatris. A video by ToVPInfo.
Due to significant growth in student enrollment every year, the current Mayapur Institute classrooms and offices are inadequate. Hence, MI had embarked on setting up an exclusive campus at Mayapur.
Grand Opening of Mayapur Institute Campus
First phase of the Mayapur Institute Campus was inaugurated and offered to Srila Prabhupada on 3rd Jul 2017 in the auspicious presence of Jayapataka Swami and many other senior devotees.
Kartik Navadvip Mandal Parikrama by Mayapur Chandras
By the inspiration of Jayapataka Swami, The Mayapur Chandras team organizes Kartik Navadvip Mandal Parikrama every year. For more information please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Mayapur.Chandras
The devotees from the TOVP team are developing a project called FullDome. This project will be located on a small piece of land near Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi. Operation FullDome is a way to give any visiting guest to Sri Dham Mayapur an opportunity to experience the most unique immersive spiritual experience in a spiritual town.
TOVP Mid-Year Update Video - July, 2017
For more information please visit www.tovp.org.
The Bhaktivedanta Gita Academy started in 1994 under the direction and guidance of Bhakti Purusottama Swami, and is located north of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. It provides various courses on our Vedic literature, such as the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and Srimad Bhagavatam.
ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS) is the foremost gathering of leaders and devotees from around the world. The ILS is eight wonderful days of seminars on leadership and related topics within the sacred atmosphere of Sri Dhama Mayapu
Lalita Devi is considered to be the guru of all gopis. This year, Lalita devi’s appearance day fell on August 27th. Just prior to the annual Gaura Purnima festival of 1986, the Deity of Srimati Lalita devi, along with three other principle sakhis, was installed in the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir and joined Sri Sri Radha Madhava on the altar. She stands directly next to Sri Madhava.
TOVP Chakra Installation a Milestone Event - August 10th, 2017
After more than ten years of planning, fundraising and execution, a major milestone has now been achieved for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. The first Chakra has been installed on the West wing Planetarium dome!!.
Sadbhuja Das Talks About the Different Types of Metals Used in TOVP
Sadbhuja Das answers important questions about the metals being used for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, Mayapur, India, such as gold, titanium nitrate, stainless steel, bronze, etc.
Although Bhaktivinoda Thakura is especially recognised for re-discovering the birth place of Lord Caitanya, he in fact re-discovered and re-established Lord Caitanya’s movement.
Sadbhuja Das Explains TOVP Metals - Part 2
Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!
World Holy Name Day was established by the GBC in honor of Srila Prabhupada’s Centennial celebrations in 1996, to honor the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the West. World Holy Name Day has since expanded into World Holy Name Week, which every year inspires devotees to please Srila Prabhupada and to purify themselves and the world through the chanting of the holy names throughout the days.
Kartik Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama offers devotees the opportunity to visit the nine islands of Navadvipa (West Bengal, India) in the association of sincere devotees and to hear the glories of the Lord in His pastime places from many senior Vaishnavas.
World Holy Name Week in Mayapur 2017
The Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir ISKCON celebrating the world holy name week, with devotees chanting and dancing through the streets of Shri Mayapur Dham. A video by Mayapur Communications.
The TOVP fundraising team is offering devotees the unique seva to personally bathe the chakras that will be mounted on these two domes! 1008 sponsorships will be available for each chakra.
Mother Yashoda’s love is unmatched in purity and is unlike any other that even the infinite Lord who pervades the entire creation is bound by her love.
"State of the Art" CNC Machine in Action for the ToVP
Here's a short video of the CNC machine in action, making a 800cm long by 12mm thick peacock model from PVC for one of TOVP designs
Sri Damodarastakam Ceremony in Mayapur
Kirtan led by Narahari Nityananda dasa.
Govardhana Puja is the auspicious festival that was originally performed by Sri Krishna Himself about five-thousand years ago. This festival took place the year following Damodara’s chastisement by His mother, Yasoda Devi, and has been lavishly observed and celebrated worldwide ever since.
'Let No One Go Hungry' - Food Distribution in Mayapur
Srila Prabhupada continually stressed the importance of prasadam distribution in ISKCON Mayapur, and he instructed that no one within a ten mile radius of Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir should go hungry. Following Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, Food for Life Mayapur has been endeavoring for many years to fulfill this goal. Hundreds of thousands of visitors and pilgrims are fed prasadam by Food for Life Mayapur, as well as villagers in the surrounding areas. This video showcases the endeavors of ISKCON Mayapur’s Food for Life program, and demonstrates how they perform this wonderful service.
TOVP Report - 3 Month Marathon
The training was held in October 28th and 29th, 2017, and twenty two devotees from China, Portugal, Qatar, Nepal, Italy and various parts of India participated.
On the full moon night in the autumn season, during Krishna’s eighth year, He enacted His Rasa-lila pastimes with the beautiful young gopis of Vraja. This sweet pastime is celebrated every year by the devotees of Lord Krishna on the Rasa Purnima day, which is also the last day of the Kartik month.
We feel blessed to be engaged in serving the TOVP along with all of our ISKCON family. I’m especially grateful that our daughters have imbibed this mood of service to Srila Prabhupada as well and have understood the true value of the blessings Krishna has bestowed upon them.
ISKCON Leadership Sanga is a wonderful event, with over a thousand ISKCON leaders and potential leaders, from around the world attending. Many will share their skills and knowledge through a wide variety of presentations, seminars, and workshops.
Mayapur - Life and Soul
A meditation on the exquisite forms of Sri Pancha Tattva and Sri Sri Radha Madhava. Dedicated to Agnideva Das, who is recovering from illness in Sydney, Australia. A video by Prananath Das.
The New Bell Sound of the ToVP Dome
TOVP Update Nov 2017
A video by Prananath Das, music by Agnideva Das and Jahnavi Harrison.
Once, Srila Pundarika Vidyanidhi and Srila Svarupa Damodara came to Jagannatha Puri and saw the festival of odana-sasthi. On this day, the Lord is offered new cloth, and from that day forth, the Lord should be offered winter clothing.
Our Other Family Business, The TOVP - by Amrita and Anisha Ford
On October 15th the Mayapur Institute of ISKCON opened its first classroom kutir, or hut, which creates the perfect atmosphere for study of the Vedic scriptures. Built with natural, environmentally-friendly local materials like bamboo, bricks and thatch, the kutir makes students feel like they have stepped back in time to learn with the sages of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
TOVP Melbourne, Australia Fundraising Event
On November 11th the TOVP Tour Team brought Lord Nityananda’s Padukas and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Sitari to the original Capital City of Australia, Melbourne. Although Canberra is now the Capital, Melbourne is one of the largest cities in Australia and this showed by the incredible response of the devotees who pledged over $500,000 U.S. to the TOVP.
One of Canada's fasting rising young opera stars, Dustin Hiles, first met the devotees seven years ago in Winnipeg, MB, while campaigning as a candidate for the provincial Liberal Party of Canada.
India’s tribal people are currently undergoing a crucial phase of identity crisis. ISKCON Mayapur's Tribal Care Initiative reaches out to the tribal communities of India, which comprise around 9% of India’s population – over 104 million people.
ISKCON devotees may already know what an amazing event ISKCON Leadership Sanga is, with over a thousand ISKCON leaders and potential leaders, from around the world attending.
The Mayapur Goshala is a very peaceful and serene place, allowing anyone who comes to have a wonderful experience of offering service and worship.
Sri Krishna Pusya abhisek is usually the first major festival of the year in Sri Dham Mayapur. Every year on this day, the deities are bathed in hundreds of kilos of colourful and fragrant flowers in a beautiful abhisek.
Since its inception by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada in 1918, the Gaudiya Vaisnavas have been performing parikrama around Sri Navadvipa Mandala. 2018 will mark the one hundred year anniversary of performing Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama.
Prasadam - sanctified vegetarian food - plays a vital role in everything Krishna devotees do. From doing outreach activities on the streets, to a huge festival in the temple, to a personal function, prasadam has to be there, otherwise the activity is considered incomplete.
The Devotee Care Committee of ISKCON Governing Body Commission has invited everyone to take part at the Devotee Care Course this Spring in Mayapur
In the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, Sri Sri Radha Madhava are offered a new dress designed by the community devotees and decorated with many flowers. Everything, from the cloth to the jewellery to the decorations and even the complexion of Srimati Radharani and the gopis, is yellow.
On February 7th, ISKCON leaders and devotees worldwide will be converging at the holy place of Sridhama Mayapur for the historic occasion of the installation of the final two Chakras onto the domes of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
A team of community members and devotees has been formed to create awareness about the campaign and importance of the clean environment.
ISKCON Leadership SAnga is a gathering of gurus, temple presidents, GBC members and other formal and informal ISKCON leaders from around the globe where unity in diversity is discussed as was desired by Srila Prabhupada.
The event began with an elephant parade that carried the murti of Srila Prabhupada, along with Lord Nityananda’s sacred shoes, to the site of the towering 113 meter (370 foot) hight TOVP, which is still under construction.
According to Laxmimoni Dasi, who is in charge of registering the guests at the ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS), there are 950 devotees attending the event, coming from all around the world, including Brazil, Nepal, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, South America, USA, Canada, Europe, Russia, India and a delegation of 75 people from China.
During the eight day long series a total number of 65 presentations were delivered by different ISKCON leaders, addressing current issues and also issues that the society will face in the future
ISKCON Mayapur welcomed West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who came for an official visit.
Twenty-three leaders from various locations in Africa, Bangladesh, China, India, Italy, Russia and Singapore, received their GBC College Graduation certificates and gifts in the presence of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, Srila Prabhupada, and over 600 ILS devotees including many ISKCON Gurus, GBCs and sannyasis.
A few hours north of Kolkata is the holy land of Navadvipa, also known as Sri Dham Mayapur, which is celebrated and worshiped by Gaudiya Vaishnava devotees because it was in this very place that Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared approximately five hundred years ago.
Rama sets an example of the perfect king, husband, son, friend, and master.
The managers of the spiritual city of Mayapur are doing their best to keep the ISKCON premises clean from garbage waste.
The ISKCON Tribal Care Initiative’s 2018 convention ran from March 30thto April 1stin Mayapur, West Bengal this spring. It drew 2,000 tribespeople from thirteen tribes in five Indian states – each with their own culture, language and dressing style.
Children from any cultural background or religion may join the school, and Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and ISKCON children learn and grow in harmony, having equal respect for each others’ religion and background.
The devotees of the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir had decided to install a Deity of Lord Nrisimhadeva after being attacked by a group of 35 dacoits in March of 1984. Lord Nrisimhadeva is the protector of His devotees, so what better way could there be of protecting the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir than by inviting Him to reside there?
The Jagrata Chatra Samaj is a Spiritual Academy for Formation and Education (SAFE), an outreach program specifically aimed for students from schools and colleges in West Bengal, India.
This year in Sridhama Mayapur between the 16thof May and the 13thof June, the resident devotees will make their way to the temple each evening through the summer heat for an opportunity that only comes once every three years.
Mayapur institute paves the path for devotees' spiritual growth by in-depth analytical study of ancient scriptures facilitated by sincere practitioners.
Sri Sri Radha Madhava enjoy various wonderful water pastimes in Mayapur, such as the boating pastimes They enjoy during the Candan-yatra season.
A new temple dedicated to Ganga Devi has recently been constructed by ISKCON Mayapur's Ganga Mata Seva Committee, where a Deity of Ganga Devi is worshipped along with Deities of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai. This temple is only the beginning, for the committee has plans to construct a larger and more opulent temple for the worship of Mother Ganga.
