Mayapur
Discover Mayapur
Mayapur (Bengali: মায়াপুর Māẏāpur) is a small town in the Nadia district of West Bengal and the headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which is known informally around the world as the Hare Krishnas. Mayapur (MAEH-ah-poor) is on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River. It's approximately 130 km (81 mi) north of Kolkata and across the Bhagirathi from the city of Nabadwip, the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. His followers believed he was an incarnation of Krishna, and he was the one who started the Hare Krishna movement; he was the first to teach widespread mass chanting and singing of the Hare Krishna mantra. Although the movement began in the 15th century, it was not until the 1960s and 70s when the movement spread worldwide under the leadership of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON in Mayapur.
What to Experience in Mayapur
Taste of Mayapur...
Not available
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsMayapur is not served by any airport and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) in Kolkata is the nearest option. You have to take other modes of transport to get in Mayapur from Kolkata. Mayapur is not served by any railway station and the nearest options are Krishnanagar and Nabadwip. From Krishnanagar, you can catch a rickshaw to go to the bus terminal and catch a bus to Mayapur. Or, you can get into a three-wheeler to go to Mayapur Ghat in Swarup Ganj (where Bhaktivinoda Thakura used to live), get on a boat to cross over the Jalangi river to reach Hular Ghat at Mayapur. Nabadwip has two stations, Nabadwip Dham and Bishnupriya Halt, among which Nabadwip Dham is the busiest one. Once you reach Nabadwip Dham station, you have to take a rickshaw to Nabadwip Ferry Ghat and then get on a boat to cross over the Bhagirathi to reach Hular Ghat at Mayapur. However, it is a better option to get down at Bishnupriya Halt railway station, which is nearer to Nabadwip Ferry Ghat....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Public transport is virtually nonexistent in Mayapur. However, totos (electric rickshaws) are an option, and you might walk around the town if you can't find one. It is the head temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. However, the temple is still under construction and when completed it will be the world's largest Hindu temple and one of the tallest temples. On the left side of the main temple room is a statue of ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada in his Vyasasana. On the right side, on the main altar are the presiding deities: the beautiful larger than life size Sri Sri Radha Madhava, surrounded by Their Ashta-sakhis (eight principal gopi friends) — Sri Lalita, Sri Champakalata, Sri Chitra, Sri Tungavidya, Sri Vishaka, Sri Indulekha, Sri Rangadevi and Sri Sudevi, along with Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Giri-Govardhana.
Money & Budget
As in many other Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, you might expect vegetarian food and no alcohol in Mayapur. However, non-vegetarian food is available outside the ISKCON campus.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Mayapur
a white and brown building with a large dome on top of it
a statue of a monkey in front of a building
a bird standing on the ground
a white and brown building with a large dome on top of it
a statue of a monkey in front of a building
a bird standing on the ground
a white and brown building with a large dome on top of it
a statue of a monkey in front of a building
a bird standing on the ground
a white and brown building with a large dome on top of it
a statue of a monkey in front of a building
a bird standing on the ground
a white and brown building with a large dome on top of it