Mayapur

Mayapur (Mayāpura)[1] is a neighbourhood of Bamanpukur, in the Nabadwip CD block in the Krishnanagar Sadar subdivision of the Nadia district, West Bengal, India. It's situated at the confluence of the Jalangi River and the Bhagirathi, a tributary of the Ganges. The area is considered spiritually significant by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

Mayapur
Mayapur is located in West Bengal
Mayapur
Mayapur
Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: 23.4382755°N 88.3928686°E / 23.4382755; 88.3928686
Country India
StateWest Bengal
DistrictNadia
Languages
  OfficialBengali, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
741313
Telephone code91 3472

Etymology

The name Mayapur derives from Miyapur (Bengali: মিঞাপুর [Miñāpura]), the Bengali name of a village known for the settlement of Muslim fishermen.[2][3] The name Miyapur was mentioned in various government documents, including maps and surveys.[2][4]

History

Nabadwip-Mayapur
R: temple, F: facility, H: historical site
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

The region is associated with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a revered figure in Gaudiya Vaishnavism.[5] It is said that Krishna appeared along with his brother Balarama, as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. These two brothers appeared just for the fallen conditioned souls of this Kali Yuga to bestow on them the greatest blessings of Harinama Sankirtan based on the teachings of Bhagvad Gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam. Along with their associates, the Pancha Tattva, they distributed the divine Love of Godhead to anyone and everyone without seeing any qualifications or disqualifications. Mayapur is where the Material and Spiritual Worlds meet. Just as there is no difference between Lord Chaitanya and Lord Krishna, similarly there is no difference between Shridham Mayapur and Vrindavan.[6]

Gaudiya Vaishnava temples and memorials

A white ornate structure with a pyramidal pointed dome standing on the bank of a pond and surrounded by trees
Yogapith temple at Mayapur, established by Bhaktivinoda Thakur in the 1880s.

There are a number of Gaudiya Vaishnava organizations in Mayapur. The headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is situated in Mayapur. The town is heavily centered on this particular Vaishnava religious tradition with temples devoted to Radha and Krishna or Gaura-Nitai throughout.[7]

In the 1880s, at the birthsite of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bhaktivinoda Thakur established the Yogapith temple, a white ornate structure with a pyramidal pointed dome standing on the bank of a pond and surrounded by trees.

Idols of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Jagannath, Balarama, Subhadra and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (ISKCON Mayapur) in Mayapur.

There are several Gaudiya Vaishnava organizations in Mayapur, with ISKCON's headquarters being notable. The town has temples devoted to Radha and Krishna or Gaura-Nitai. The Panca-tattva comprises Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acharya, Gadadhara Pandit, and Srivas Thakur.

The Gaudiya-Vaishnava devotees every year circumambulate the various places of Lord Chaitanya's pastimes in the group of nine islands known as Nabadwip. This Parikrama (circumambulation) takes about 7 days. This event takes place around the Gaur Purnima Festival (Appearance Day of Lord Chaitanya). Devotees from all over the world come to Mayapur for this auspicious Parikrama to celebrate the Lord's Divine Appearance Day.

Transport

Kolkata is approximately 100 km from Mayapur. The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The region can be accessed by road, and the nearest railway station is Nabadwip Dham.

See also

Footnotes

  1. "THE CALCUTTA REVIEW VOL.101". Internet Archive. Kolkata: Thomas S. Smith, City Press. 1895. p. Critical Notations- xli. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  2. Bhatia, Varuni (2017). Unforgetting Chaitanya: Vaishnavism and Cultures of Devotion in Colonial Bengal. Oxford University Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-19-068624-6.
  3. Mondal, Mrityunjay (2012). Chaitanyadeb. kolkata: Patra Bharati. p. 202.
  4. Bose, Satyendranath (1937). "শ্রীগৌরাঙ্গদেবের জন্মস্থান" (PDF). bn.wikisource.org. Kolkata. p. 30. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  5. "Journey in Comfort with Driver for Outstation Gurgaon to Mayapur - August 12, 2023". 12 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  6. "Narottam.com - Lectures and Kirtans by Indradyumna Swami". Narottam.com. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  7. "ISKCON | Mayapur.com". Retrieved 25 August 2023.

References

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