The ambitious $50 million Vrindavan Chandrodaya temple project by ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) — whose foundation was laid in the holy city of Vrindavan in north India on March 16, 2014 — when completed, will be the world’s tallest temple, rising to a height of 210 metres!
Temple rests on the mythical snake
Eight months after the foundation stone was laid, India’s President Pranab Mukherjee performed the ritual of ‘Ananta Shesha Sthapana Puja’ – a ceremony to mark the Hindu belief that the entire temple rests on the hoods of holy mythical snake ‘Ananta Shesha’.
A cameo of our rich heritage
The plan is to make the temple “a vibrant platform for reviving the lost glories of our rich heritage through festivals, besides cultural and social activities, throughout the year.”
Grand structure
The grand structure, with monumental proportions and iconic architecture, shall harmoniously combine elements of both Indian temple architecture and modern architecture.
A religious awakening
The Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir aims to bring about “an awakening among Indians and create a nation that is not only full of talent, creativity and energy, but also adorned with exalted values and character.”
The forests of Vrindavan
A look-alike of the legendary verdant forests of Vrindavan will be recreated around this magnificent temple, with varieties of lush vegetation, green pastures, elegant vistas of fruit-bearing trees and flower laden creepers, serenaded by bird songs.
As in Krishna’s time
Clear water lakes, with lotuses and lilies, and waterfalls that tumble from small artificial hillocks – all recreated from descriptions in the Srimad Bhagavatam and other source books of Lord Krishna – will transport the visitors to Krishna’s time in Vrindavan.
Yamuna forms the backdrop
While the Yamuna creek will provide a boating opportunity for the visitors and the Krishna Lila attractions in the forest will entertain the entire family, the Bhagavad Gita Expo will ignite minds and invigorate the intellect with the stupendous wisdom given by Lord Krishna.
Heritage Museum
The Krishna Heritage Museum within the temple premises will showcase the rich heritage and artistic celebration of Lord Krishna, in the diverse cultures of India, practiced and perfected over thousands of years. A capsule elevator will take visitors from the ground level to the 700 ft tall viewing gallery, which will grant visitors an superb 3D sound-and-light experience of the different planetary systems as described in the Vedic literature.
An iconic tribute to Krishna
According to ISKCON, it is their aspiration to create a world-class and iconic monument for Krishna in the holy land of Vrindavan and proudly place Krishna on the world mindscape and Vrindavan on the world map – a realization of their founder Swami Prabhupada’s dream.
A spiritual capital
“A tall and imposing skyscraper temple should proclaim the status of Vrindavan as one of India’s spiritual capitals. This should attract the attention of the world’s thinkers, leaders and other enquiring minds to know more about Sri Krishna and his soothing, healing message for a harried world…”
Vedic values
“We wish to inculcate the glorious Vedic values in today’s youth and thereby develop the exalted character of a true Indian with examples and life philosophy drawn from the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam,” said ISKCON in a statement.
Bhagavad Gita proof of Indian civilization
The President of India, in his speech after the ceremony at Vrindavan, stated: “India is one of the oldest and culturally rich civilizations in the world, and it is imperative that we reconnect to our spiritual dimensions. There can be no better way of doing this than spreading the Bhagavad Gita’s message of universal love and humanity.”
New levels of spiritual consciousness
According to the President, the temple would be an architectural marvel seeking to recreate the glory and times of Lord Krishna and give thousands of pilgrims who congregate in Vrindavan every year, the opportunity to experience new levels of spiritual consciousness.
The holy city of Vrindavan
Vrindavan is revered as a holy town replete with Krishna temples. Some say there are as many as 5,000 Krishna temples of different sizes, dating back to different points in history. It was the great saint and philosopher, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who – along with his disciples – established temples in Vrindavan and led the cultural renaissance in the 15th century.
Seat of bhakti
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was instrumental in making Vrindavan the seat of bhakti and in disseminating its principles, as enunciated in our ancient texts, throughout India. ISKCON wishes to make a bold statement about the importance of Lord Krishna and his divine mission in the world, using the contemporary language of architecture.
Sri Krishna’s values
Srimad Bhagavatam describes the four pillars of spirituality as – truthfulness, compassion, austerity and purity. Civilized societies exist and operate within the framework of these values. Lord Krishna, through his timeless teachings in the Bhagavad Gita, has shaped the intellectual, cultural and spiritual mindscape of India for several millennia.
World’s greatest temple
It is, thus, only appropriate that Vrindavan strives to become a world-renowned centre for spiritual enlightenment, from where the message of divinity and peace will resonate across all humanity. The President of India also congratulated ISKCON for their efforts in highlighting and propagating the timeless teachings of Lord Krishna across the world.
Relevant spiritualism
The President expressed happiness that the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir would strive to disseminate the philosophical message of the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam in an easy to understand way, as it was particularly relevant for Indian society today.
The President expressed happiness that the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir would strive to disseminate the philosophical message of the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam in an easy to understand way, as it was particularly relevant for Indian society today.
