Sri Dhama Mayapur
STD Code 3472
This is the birthplace of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He appeared in 1486 and then performed many of His early pastimes here. Mayapur is 130 km north of Calcutta across the Ganges River from the city of Navadvipa. Navadvipa was the capital of Bengal in the 11th and 12th century. Before Lord Caitanya’s birth this place was known as Nadia and after the Lord’s birth, it became known as Navadvipa. Today it is known as Mayapur.
The Mayapur area is one of the most holy and peaceful places in all of India. According to Gaudiya Vaisnavas, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non-different from Lord Krishna. Because Sri Dham Mayapur is the site of Lord Caitanya’s appearance and childhood pastimes, it is understood that Mayapur Dhama is non-different from Vrindavana. It is an extremely important holy place. Over a million pilgrims come here each year.
On the auspicious appearance day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu (February/March full moon day) over two hundred thousand pilgrims come to celebrate His appearance.
Orientation
Mayapur is across the river from the fairly large city of Navadvipa, on the eastern side of the Ganges. It basically consists of several temples along Bhaktisiddhanta Road, which cuts between the middle of some rice fields. The confluence of the Ganges and Jalangi Rivers is near Mayapur. The site of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s birth is marked by a temple, 1½ km from the ISKCON Temple. Beside the places in reference to Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, there are many other holy places here.
The circumference of Mayapur is three and a half miles and the diameter is just over a mile.
ISKCON Chandrodaya Mandir
This is the world headquarters for ISKCON. Plans are underway for construction of the largest temple built in India in the last 200 years, at a cost of over 100 million dollars. Surrounded by a Vedic city, the temple will include a Vedic planetarium. At the present time there is a temple, various guest house facilities, Srila Prabhupada’s Puspa Samadhi, the rooms where Srila Prabhupada lived, a hut where Srila Prabhupada stayed, a gurukula school, a goshala (dairy), and beautiful gardens.
The main Deities are Sri Sri Radha-Madhava. The Deities are larger than life-size. There are also eight gopis, four on each side of Radha-Madhava. They are, from left to right, Srimati Tungavidya Devi, Srimati Chitra Devi, Srimati Champaklata Devi, Srimati Lalita Devi, Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, Srimati Visakha Devi, Srimati Indulekha Devi, Srimati Rangadevi, Srimati Sudevi. Also on the main altar is a small set of Radha-Krishna Deities.
On the left altar are life-size Deities of the Panca Tattva, who are from left to right Advaita Acarya, Lord Nityananda, Lord Caitanya, Gadadhara, and Srivasa Thakur.
Deity of Lord Narasimhadeva
After the Mayapur temple was attacked in March, 1984 a decision was made to get a Deity of Lord Narasimhadeva. The Deity was installed in July, 1986.
The pujari who worships Narasimhadeva must be a naisthika-brahmacari (celibate from birth), and the worship must be very strict and regulated.
The Deity is Ugra Narasimhadeva. Ugra means ferocious, very angry. There are nine forms of Ugra Narasimha. This one is Sthanu-Narasimha—stepping out of the pillar. He has a searching glance looking around ferociously, His knees are bent with one foot forward ready to jump from the pillar. This Deity weights about one ton.
Temple Schedule
Mangala-arati 4.30 am
Greeting the Deities
Narasimhadeva 7 am
Panca-tattva 7.05 am
Radha Madhava 7.15 am
Srila Prabhupada’s Guru-puja 7.30 am
Srimad Bhagavatam class 8 am
Raja Bhoga-arati 12 noon
Dhoop-arati 4 pm
Sandhya-arati 6.30 pm
(6.00 pm in winter, Nov-March)
Bhagavad-gita class 7.30 pm
Shayan-arati 8.15 pm
The temple is closed from 1 pm to 4 pm and 8.30 pm to 4.15 am.
Morning Bhagavatam class in English is usually given on the first floor of the lotus building, except during the Mayapur Gaura Purnima festival.
Communications
There is a STD, ISD phone, and a photocopy machine in the middle of the ground floor of the Chakra (long) building. In office 207 you can mail letters and purchase stamps. In office 208 you can send and receive com messages. In office 205 you can send and receive faxs.
Money
You can change money at the Indian Overseas Bank just outside the parking lot gate. An exchange certificate is Rs 20. They may only accept travellers’ cheques. You may also be able to change money at the reception desk in the long building. Also Sri Chaitanya Stores, across the street from the main gate of the ISKCON property can change money legally.
Purchasing Needed Items
There is a supply store that has basic necessities just inside the front gate of the ISKCON property. The closest vegetable markets to the ISKCON Temple are in Navadvipa and in the village where Chand Kazi’s Samadhi is located. There is also a vegetable supplier who delivers vegetables and other items. He sets up by a tree in the middle of the apartments around 11 am. He may have some items to sell you immediately, but usually you have to make an order for the next day.
Main Gate Closure Time
The main gate closes at 8 pm. It is not really safe to be outside the gates after 8 pm, as it is a dangerous area in the middle of nowhere.
Srila Prabhupada’s Residences
As you enter the main gate, on your left is a simple hut where Srila Prabhupada stayed when ISKCON first got this property before anything else was built. Also residing here are Nitai-Gaurasundara, the Deities that traveled from Dwarka to Kanniyakumari and then to Mayapur during Padayatra from 1984 to 1986.
After the Lotus Building was completed, in 1976 and 1977 Srila Prabhupada stayed on the second floor. You can visit his sitting room, bedroom, and see some of his personal items.
Srila Prabhupada’s Puspa Samadhi
Installed here is a beautiful deity of Srila Prabhupada. Buried under this deity are some flowers (puspa) that Srila Prabhupada wore when he left his body in 1977. Srila Prabhupada’s last garland was quickly transported in a golden casket and buried in this spot. This is a memorial for him. It took 18 years to construct.
There is an auditorium, a garden, a diorama exhibit, and small lake in front of the samadhi. It is the largest samadhi in India. There are conducted tours of the samadhi that explain some facts about Srila Prabhupada’s life. There are terra-cotta panels depicting different scenes from the Srimad Bhagavatam. On the upper roof of the Samadhi is a breathtaking view of the Ganges and surrounding area.
Over one million people visited the Samadhi in 1996.
Others
There is a Padayatra Memorial with 108 stone circles around it. People are trained there how to chant the Hare Krishna mantra properly. They chant the mantra once on each circle and then step to the next circle.
There is a small zoo with an elephant and other animals.
Out in the fields behind the temple is a goshala (cow barn) where cows are protected.
Next to the goshala is a gurukula, or school of the guru, where students are taught in an ashram environment.
Temple of the Vedic Planetarium
The whole temple environment itself is a planetarium, or model of the universe, according to the Vedic description. Mount Meru will be in the center, and the seven islands, or dvipas will surround it.
When you first enter the temple complex you will take darsana of Sri Garuda, Lord Narasimhadeva and Prahlada Maharaja. In front of Lord Narasimha will be a yajna shala where a fire sacrifice with be performed daily. Then there is an altar which will have Srila Prabhupada and the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya parampara. The central altar will have seven-foot-high Deities of the Panca-Tattva made of asta-dhatu (an auspicious combination of eight metals). On the right altar will by Radha Madhava and the Asta-sakhis.
Drinking Water
You should not drink water from just any tap. The quality of the water largely depends on how deep the well is dug. Certain water is marked as drinking water. There are drinking taps on the outside wall of the middle stairway of the long building. There is also a tap in the basement of the Gada building and drinking taps in a small building by the temple.
Just because water is supposed to be drinking water does not mean it is safe to drink for people who have just arrived in India. Unless you have been in India for a while I would highly advise you to just drink bottled, purified or boiled water. Bad water is the main cause of illness in India.
Gaura Purnima Festival
Lord Caitanya’s appearance day (Gaura Purnima) is celebrated each year on the full moon day in Feb/March. It is at the same time as the Holi festival. During this time hundreds of thousands of people come to Mayapur.
At the same time over a thousand ISKCON devotees from around the world come and associate together. Living space is at a premium with four people living in a room that would normally only be for two. Also room rates are increased by 50%.
ISKCON Navadvipa Parikrama
Every year during the Gaura Purnima festival devotees from around the world walk to the nine islands of Navadvipa Dhama. Yearly 800 to 1200 devotees engage in this ecstatic event. The fee is around US$35, and the parikrama lasts for seven days. Many of the places associated with Lord Caitanya’s and His devotees’ pastimes are visited. One would not normally have a chance to go to these places otherwise. Devotees stay in simple tents and have to rough it, but the prasada, kirtanas, and lectures make it well worth while. Every morning transportation leaving from the temple is provided to meet the parikrama.
It is suggested that you bring with you on the parikrama: a flashlight, bucket, plastic cup, water bottle, straw or rubber mat, sleeping bag or blanket, mosquito repellent and a gamsha.
Parikrama Schedule
Depending in what group you are in during the parikrama there is one of two schedules.
Schedule 1
1. Starts Mayapur (Antardvipa) and ends at Narasimha Palli. Breakfast at Suvarna Vihara (20 km walk).
2. Narasimha Palli (Godrumadvipa) to Swarupa Ganj (Godrumadvipa). Breakfast at the Gopal Temple (8 km walk).
3. Swarupa Ganj to Koladvipa. Breakfast near the Gauranga Bridge (12 km walk).
4. Navadvipa town to Vidyanagar (Ritudvipa). Breakfast at Champahatti (12 km walk).
5. Vidyanagar to Belpukur. Boat ride 1 hour up river. Breakfast at Mamagachi (14 km walk).
6. Belpukur (Rudradvipa) to Jagannatha Temple in Simantadvipa.
7. Jagannatha Temple to ISKCON temple.
Schedule 2
1. Starts Mayapur (Antardvipa) and ends at the Jagannatha Temple. Breakfast at Caitanya Math (5 km walk).
2. Jagannatha Temple to Narasimha Palli. Breakfast at Suvarna Vihara (12 km walk).
3. Narasimha Palli (Godrumadvipa) to Swarupa Ganj (Godrumadvipa). Breakfast at the Gopal Temple (8 km walk).
4. Swarupa Ganj to Navadvipa town (Koladvipa). Breakfast near the Gauranga Bridge (12 km walk).
5. Navadvipa town to Vidyanagar (Ritudvipa). Breakfast at Champahatti (12 km walk).
6. Vidyanagar to Belpukur. Boat ride 1 hour up river. Breakfast at Mamagachi (14 km walk).
7. Belpukur (Rudradvipa) to ISKCON temple (11 km walk).
Places Visited on Gaura Mandala Parikrama
Day 1
Yogapitha
cross Jalangi
Suvarna Vihara
Amghata
Narasimha Palli
Devapalli
Mandakini Lake
Day 2
Harihara Ksetra
Swarupa Ganj (Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s house)
Surabhi Kunda (100m from Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s house)
Day 3
Hamsa Vahar
Naimisaranya
Brahmana Puskara
Uchahatta (Kuruksetra)
Cross Ganges
Vishnupriya Temple
Day 4
Samudragarh
Champahatti
Ratupara (non-different than Radha Kunda)
Vidyanagara
Day 5
Jahnu Muni’s Ashrama
Saranga Murari’s house
Mamagachi
Cross Ganges
Rudradvipa Gaudiya Math
Sankarapura
Belpukur
Day 6
Ganga-nagara
Simantini Devi Temple
Jagannatha Temple
Day 7
Yogapitha
Srinivasa Thakur’s house
Sri Caitanya Math
Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust
His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established this trust to be used to renovate the pastime places of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. Some places that have been renovated by this fund are Srivasa Pandita’s house in Santipur, Champahatti, Sridhara Angan and the Jagannatha Temple.
Srila Prabhupada had this trust formed in November, 1977 to renovate and develop old temples of the followers of Lord Caitanya and to help reunite the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya.
Bathing in the Ganges
There are two main areas where devotees bathe in the Ganges. If you leave the main gate men usually bath to the right of the main gate and women and young children bath to the left of the main gate.
There are fresh water dolphins that jump out of the water.
WARNING! Several devotees have drowned in the Ganges. The current can be extremely strong. At places the Ganges can turn from shallow to very deep very quickly and one can be swept away by the current. Please be careful! Also you should be very careful when you try to save someone that you do not drown yourself. To learn how to save someone properly takes many hours of training. A good rule is to always stay within several feet of someone. Be especially cautious while entering the Ganges. A good rule is to only enter where you see other devotees (especially those of the same swimming abilities) doing so.
Where To Shop
Sree Gopal Chandra Dasa, Bazaar Road, Navadwipa, is a good source of brass items including karatalas. There is a good place to get mridangas in Swarupa Ganj, which is just across the Jalangi River. This place is a few minutes from the boat ghata. Prema Tala is the main shopping area in Navadvipa.
Day Trips From Mayapur
1. The most common day trip would be to go to the Yoga Pitha, Srivasa Angan, and Caitanya Math. Murari Gupta’s House could also be visited at the same time. These places are all within 2 km (1½ miles) of the ISKCON temple.
2. Chand Kazi’s samadhi, the Jagannatha temple and Sridhara’s place can all be visited at the same time. Chand Kazi’s samadhi is in a village about 3 km from the ISKCON temple. The Jagannatha temple is about 2 km from Chand Kazi’s samadhi, down a side road. Sridhara’s place is about a 6 minutes walk from the Jagannatha temple. These places can be visited in a few hours. It is best to hire a rickshaw for the entire trip. These places can also be visited at the same time you go to the Yoga Pitha and Srivasa Angan, as they are just down the road from these places.
3. You could take a boat across the Jalangi river and then visit Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur’s house. From there you can take a bike rickshaw and visit Amghata, Suvarnabihar, Sri Hari Hara Ksetra and Narasimha Palli. This trip would take four to six hours. You could also take a taxi from Mayapur to these places, going to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur’s house at another time. I would take a taxi myself.
4. You could visit all the places in Madhyadvipa: Sapta Tila, Naimisaranya, Hamsa Vahana, Brahmana Puskhara, and Uchahatta in the same day. You could take a boat over to Swarupa Ganj and from there take a bike rickshaw to all these places. It most likely would be best to work out an hourly rate with the rickshaw driver. Also you should make definitely sure that the rickshaw driver knows how to get to these places. You could also take a taxi to these places from Mayapur. It would be a long trip before you get to the first place. Most likely the best way to get to these places is on Gaura Mandala Parikrama, as they are hard places to find and they are not well marked.
5. A nice day trip is to the town of Navadvipa (Sri Koladvipa). There are several places there. There is the Praudha Maya and Siva temples, Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji’s Samadhi and Bhajan Kutir, Srila Gaura Kishora’s Bhajan Kutir (Kuliya Dharamsala), Devananda Gaudiya Math and other Gaudiya Math temples.
6. From the town of Navadvipa you can visit Champahatti and Samudra Garh. You can take a bus or rickshaw from Navadvipa to Champahatti, which is a well known place. Samudra Garh is in the middle of no where and is just marked by a tree, therefore it is not so easy to find.
7. Vidyanagar and the places in Modadrumadvipa can be visited at the same time. You can take a rickshaw from Navadvipa to Vidyanagar, which will take about a half hour. From there you can go to Vrindavana Dasa Thakur’s house, Sri Vasudeva Datta’s temple and Saranga Thakur’s place. This trip will take more than four hours.
8. A few places can be visited in Sri Simantadvipa: Belpukur, where there is the Deity of Madana Gopala which was worshiped by Nilambara Cakravarti and the Simantini Devi Temple. You can take either a bike rickshaw or a taxi to these places. The trip will take a few hours. At the same time Chand Kazi’s samadhi and the Jagannatha temple could be visited.
9. Katwa and several places in the Katwa area could be visited at the same time. Katwa is 50 km (32 miles) from Mayapur. Some places around Katwa are Madhai Tala (Ghosahata), Akaihata, Sri Khanda and Kulai. It is best to take a taxi to these places. I was told that a taxi driver who works for the ISKCON temple shop knows these places.
10. To visit Santipur, where the house of Advaita Acarya is located, will take about one hour to reach by taxi from Mayapur. You can see everything there in about an hour.
Where To Stay – ISKCON
The Long (Chakra) Building’s rooms, with common bath, are simple and cost Rs 80 a night regardless of how many people are in the room. There are also some rooms with four beds and attached bath for Rs 275. Rooms in the Lotus Building are much nicer, but you have to use a common bathroom. Rooms there cost Rs 200.
The Gada Building is the newest building. It has simple but very clean rooms with attached bath for Rs 175 for a double and Rs 300 for a bigger room. There are also rooms there with common bath for Rs 70/85. Rooms with common bath in the Gada Building are much better than the rooms in the long building, as there is more privacy. They are recommended, if you are on a budget. There are also dorm beds in the Gada Building for Rs 30.
The Conch Building has very nice rooms with attached bath and hot water for Rs 500. There are also four rooms with A/C for Rs 625. There are two smaller rooms, which are recommended, for Rs 300 a night. You have to ask about these two rooms.
The phone number in Mayapur is 91 (3472) 45213 or Fax 91 (3472) 45250 for guest reservation. Checkout time is 9 am. If you are leaving in the afternoon, you can pay for half a day and leave at 4 pm. On Saturdays and important holidays all the rooms here can be fully booked. During the Mayapur festival (Feb/March) there may be no rooms available for a few weeks.
You can book a room for the Mayapur Guest Houses at the Calcutta ISKCON Temple. They have a regular bus service to Mayapur (Rs 75, leaving 6 am). The Calcutta temple is located at 3C Albert Road, about a quarter of a mile from the junction of Camac Road and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Rd. You can call (33) 247-3757,247-6075 or fax (33) 247-5815 for reservations.
Where To Stay – Other Places
If you come out of the main entrance of the ISKCON grounds and make a left, down the road about an eight minutes walk is the Janbhitirtha Hotel, which has rooms with private baths. I was told the bathrooms are not very clean, but it is a private place to stay during the Mayapur festival.
Sushil Mandal, on the way to Hoolar Ghata (the ghata that goes to Navadvipa), on the right side of the road, has room during the Gaura Purnima festival for Rs 50 a day. The rest of the year rooms are Rs 500 for a month.
There are rooms at the Sri Krishna Caitanya Mission Temple, which is about 300m down the road toward the Appearance place of Lord Caitanya. You can rent out a room for Rs 150 during the Gaura Purnima festival. Normal rates are Rs 100 for a double room with a private bath.
Where To Eat
Guest House prasada is served in the Gada Building at 1 pm and 8.30 pm. The lunch costs Rs 20 and consists of rice, dal, two subjis (vegetables), chapatis or puris, pakoras, and a sweet. Dinner is Rs 12. This is a recommended eating place. This is located in the Gada Building. You pay for this meal at the inquiry room (room 111) in the long building, where you check-in.
There is devotee prasada at 9 am and 4.30 pm in the main prasada hall. This is simpler prasada, which costs only Rs 8 a meal. You pay for this at the door when you enter. There is also Sulam (Simple) prasada at 1 pm for Rs 8 in the main prasada hall. You pay for this at a table set up by the front gate. Neither sets of meals are nearly as good as the Guest House prasada, but some people like them better.
There is a restaurant halfway between the main gate and the temple. It serves pizza, sandwiches, dosas, sweets and other such things. It is not very good and most items are served cold, unless you ask to have them heated up. It is open from 7 am to 2 pm and 5 to 8 pm, except during the festival when it is open later.
You can purchase very nice cakes and sweets from the maha-prasada booth by the front door of the temple. In the morning around 8 am and in the evening at 8.20 pm there is a fresh supply of special cakes, pies, and cookies, which are quickly purchased.
You can also book the 12 pm Deity’s maha-prasada plates. Radha-Madhava’s plate and Lord Jagannath’s prasada cost Rs 201 each. Srila Prabhupada’s and Lord Narasimhadeva’s plate costs Rs 101 each. It takes about five hungry people to eat the Rs 200 plate. You book the maha-prasada inside the temple with the devotee who sits on the platform to the right of the Deities. Bookings should be done as far in advance as possible.
During the festival there is a Pizza Restaurant located at the backside of the Samadhi. They serve pizza, lasagna, eggplant parmesan and a few other items. The prasada is good here and it is a recommended place.
Getting Around
ISKCON Temple to Boat Ghata to Navadvipa Rs 5 to 7
Boat to Navadvipa 70 paise
Boat to Swarupa Ganj (Bhaktivinode’s House) 60 paise
To and From Calcutta
Train There are several crowded local trains leaving daily from Howrah train station to Navadvipa. From there you take a rickshaw to the boat crossing. You then cross the Ganges by boat (70 paise) and get another rickshaw (Rs 6) for the last 2 km to the temple. Trains leave from Howrah station to Navadvipa at 6.30 am and at 1, 3, and 6 pm. There is also the Kamrup Express which departs at 5.35 pm. This will be a very difficult trip if you have heavy luggage. You get tickets for these trains at the windows near platform 1. To get a ticket for the Kamrup Express you need an Express Ticket. You purchase this ticket at window 14. Ladies can purchase a 2nd class ticket from window 15 or 16.
There are very crowded passenger trains departing from Sealdah station to Krishnanagar (2½ hr, Rs 20). You get a ticket for this train at counter 17, which is to the left of the entrance. Sealdah is a Rs 40 taxi ride from Howrah train station or Rs 25 from the ISKCON Temple. If you have a fair amount of luggage this is a better train to take than the train to the Navadvipa.
From Krishnanagar there are regular buses that depart from the bus stand to Mayapur (Rs 4) which takes about 40 minutes. If you have a decent amount of luggage this is the advised way to go, as the bus stops directly in front of the ISKCON temple. You can also take a bus to the Swarupa Ganj boat ghat (20 min), which is by Bhaktivinoda’s house on the other side of the Jalangi River. From there you get one of the regular boats (Rs 1) across the river. Once you cross the river you get a rickshaw for Rs 6 to the ISKCON Temple. You can also get a shared motor rickshaw (Rs 15) or a tempo (Rs 6) from the train station in Krishnanagar to Swarupa Ganj. The tempos are very crowed and most people would prefer the bus.
If you are going to Navadvipa from Krishnanagar you take a local bus going to Bablari (Rs 4), or any Express Bus going to “Navadvipa Rail Gate.”
In the morning three trains depart from Navadvipa going to Howrah station in Calcutta: 6:15, 6:50 and 7.40 am. There are also trains that go to Bandel and from there you have to get another train for the remaining hour to Calcutta.
WARNING Be highly aware of pickpockets on the local trains. Be especially careful when getting on and off the train. I recommend that you hold on tightly to your money belt while getting on and off the train. Do not carry any valuables in a side bag or kurta pocket.
Bus There is a 6 am direct local bus to Mayapur that leaves from the Esplanade bus stand on Chowringhee Rd at the north end of the Maidan. From the Esplanade bus stand you can also get one of the regular buses during the day to Krishnanagar. From the airport you take a rickshaw to “Ek Number Gate” by the Airport Hotel and from there get a bus to Krishnanagar. It is best to get an express bus (usually going to Bhorampur or Malda). From Krishnanagar you can get another bus to Mayapur.
To get from Mayapur to Calcutta, there are direct buses to Calcutta (Rs 25) that leaves at 6 am, 11 am and 3 pm from the ISKCON front gate. This is the easiest way to go to Calcutta, except for taking the 4 pm ISKCON bus. You can also take a bus from outside the temple to Krishnanagar and from there get another bus to Calcutta.
ISKCON Temple Bus The Mayapur Bus usually departs daily from the ISKCON Calcutta temple at 6 am. The temple is located at 3C Albert Road, about a quarter of a mile from the junction of Camac Road and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Rd. The bus costs Rs 100 one way or Rs 150 both ways. It is a convenient cheap way to get to Mayapur from Calcutta. You can call (33) 247-3757, 247-6075 or fax (33) 247-5815 for reservations. The bus picks up passengers at Gariahat at 6.30 am, then Prachi Cinema, Capital Electronics (Ultadanga), and the Airport Hotel. You can also be dropped at these places on the return trip. You should arrange your bus ticket the night before you want to go to Mayapur, as this bus is often fully booked in advance.
The ISKCON temple bus usually departs daily from Mayapur at 4 pm. It arrives at about 8 pm in Calcutta. To reserve a seat on the bus to Calcutta in advance (a good idea) you should meet the bus when it arrives in Mayapur at 11 am, or you will have to look for the devotee who is in charge of the bus. This may not be so easy. You can also arrange a seat the day before by talking to the devotee in charge of the bus at a little before 4 pm, when the bus is about to depart. Usually the bus is not full for the return trip and you can just get a seat, but it is still best to reserve it in advance.
Taxi A taxi from the Howrah train station to Mayapur costs from Rs 800 to Rs 1100. From Calcutta airport the price is Rs 750 to Rs 1000, as the airport is a half hour further north than the train station. From other areas of Calcutta you may have to pay as much as Rs 1200. It is suggested that you travel during the day if possible, as this area of Bengal is not very safe at night. To get to Mayapur from Calcutta by car you drive north on National Highway 34 via Barasat to Krishnanagar. About 10 km past Krishnanagar you make a very sharp left when you see the signboard to Sri Mayapur. The drive takes about four hours.
A taxi from Mayapur to the Calcutta railway station costs Rs 800 or Rs 900. To the airport costs Rs 700 or Rs 800. You should reserve the taxi a day in advance at the main desk in Room 111 of the long building. You can also get a taxi from Utpal Sur, who has a shop that sells cold drinks to the right as you leave the main gate of the ISKCON property. Also you can often rent a taxi from the temple shop, near the entrance of the temple.
Taxi Warning
If you arrange a taxi at the train station there is a good change the taxi driver will tell you a real bargain price, say Rs 800. He then drives you to another taxi and tells you to change taxis. He tells the other taxi driver to bring you to Mayapur, which, he tells the other taxi driver, is a little pass Krishnanagar. He then asks you to pay him Rs 300 in advance and tells you to pay the other taxi driver Rs 500 when you arrive in Mayapur. Off you go. When you reach Krishnanagar the second taxi driver drives a little pass Krishnanagar and wants to know where Mayapur is located, which you may not know if you have never been there. He then asks you to pay more for the taxi as he is driving in the middle of nowhere in Bengal. It takes you another 40 minutes to reach Mayapur and the second driver feels really ripped off and demands Rs 700 or Rs 800 from you instead of the Rs 500 that you owe him. This has happened to me twice.
You can avoid this problem by insisting that the taxi driver at the train station has to drive you all the way to Mayapur and you will refuse to take a second taxi. If you are forced to take another taxi, you should insist to pay the first taxi driver nothing and just pay the second taxi driver on arrival in Mayapur. If you are in a taxi on the way to Mayapur and the taxi driver starts insisting that he wants more than the settled price, just agreed, especially at night. When you arrive in Mayapur, take your bags out of the taxi and just pay the driver the price that you agreed to pay and walk away.
Mayapur to Navadvipa
From the ISKCON Temple you can either walk or take a rickshaw (Rs 5 or 6) to the boat ghat (2 km). Just before you come to the end of the road, you make a right and walk 200 feet to get the boat to Navadvipa. It cost just 60 paise. It is a good idea to sit in the front of the boat as the exhaust coming from the engine is extremely bad. You can tell the front because the steering guide is in the back. When you return to Mayapur, remember all the boats do not go to Mayapur, so you have to ask which boat to take.
Long Distance Travel
Air The closest airport is in Calcutta, 130 km south of Mayapur.
Train The closest railway stations on the broad-gauge line are in Calcutta and Burdwan (Barddhaman). The fastest train from Delhi to Calcutta is the Rajdhani Express #2306 (5.15 pm) which takes just 18½ hours. It has first class A/C, and two and three tier A/C.
If you take the Kalka Mail or Poorva Express from Delhi #2312 (7.30 am) or Tundla (11.05 am), you can get down at Burdwan (Barddhaman), which is about two hours before Calcutta. You can then get a taxi or bus to Mayapur from there. Both trains take 25 hours to go from Delhi to Calcutta, and from Tundla to Burdwan they take 20 hours. From Burdwan a taxi costs Rs 700 to Rs 1000. From Tundla to Vrindavana a taxi costs Rs 550 to Rs 600.
The Poorva Express leaves Calcutta at 9.15 am and arrives at Burdwan at 10.30 am and from there take 20 hours to reach Tundla. The Kalka Mail #2311 (7.15 pm) departs from Calcutta in the evening.
From Mathura the Toofan Express #3008 (11 am) going via Agra takes 36 hours to reach Calcutta. You can get down an hour before Calcutta in Bandel, a few km north of Hooghly and 43 km from Calcutta. You can then get a local train from there to Navadvipa. This train is very slow and is usually very crowded. Most people do not take this train twice.
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