Appeared as the Cover Story in the May 2013 issue of Back To Godhead (India)
Throughout history, Pune
has been one of western India’s most important political centers. It’s the
cultural and spiritual capital of the state of Maharashtra. Thirty years ago
ISKCON had no presence in Pune, but on February 24, 2013, the honorable
President of India inaugurated a gorgeous new ISKCON temple, the New Vedic
Cultural Center (NVCC). It will propagate the timeless message of the ancient sacred
Vedic texts by providing the supporting culture and education using the newest
modern facilities; hence the name NVCC. It is one of the biggest ISKCON temples
in the world — the temple property sprawls over 6 acres, and the maximum
capacity of the temple hall is 3,000 people. ISKCON is a prominent feature of
Pune’s spiritual landscape, and the NVCC could soon become Pune’s most
prominent icon. The journey has been long and sometimes hard, but this is not
the end. The inauguration of the NVCC marks a new beginning in ISKCON Pune’s
history. Perhaps it is a historic moment even for ISKCON at large.
Space Crunch
Thirty years ago, a few
devotees from ISKCON’s Juhu temple started visiting Pune. At that time, someone
helped them to rent an army colonel’s bungalow at the heart of the city. Thus
the Çré Çré Rädhä-Kunjabihäré temple was established in 1982. The temple
activities really took off in 1993, when Gopäla Kåñëa Goswami requested Rädhänätha
Swami to send a team of devotees from Mumbai to Pune. One of these devotees was
Rädheçyäma Däsa, who started serving as the Pune temple president from 1997. He
compiled teachings from Çréla Prabhupada’s books into introductory courses on
the Bhagavad-gétä and gradually
started presenting those courses at colleges. A lot of young men were impressed
by his presentations and many joined the temple full time. This youth outreach
program has expanded manifold and to this day continues to attract intelligent
youth. Meanwhile, Jähnavä Devé Däsé, and later on Jayadeva Däsa and his wife Satyavaté
Devé Däsé, started weekly programs at their home. Many of the current leaders
in Pune are products of these two home programs. Today, the temple boasts a
staggering 150 resident monks. There are also over 4,000 congregation members
closely associated with the temple.
Eventually, a time
came when the space in the temple could no longer satisfy the needs of the
increasing number of devotees and well-wishers. Space was short for the
resident devotees; 150 people stayed in three rooms, many sleeping under the
sky at night. Space was short to serve the large crowds on festivals; the
congregation was growing in size. Space was short to hold grand satsaìga programs when senior devotees, sannyäsés, or disciples of Çréla Prabhupada
came; the temple management hired outside facilities. Most importantly, space
was short for holding cultural and educational outreach programs for newcomers;
the temple was steadily gaining popularity. To serve as the headquarters of the
dynamic and expanding activities of ISKCON Pune, a bigger temple was obviously
a dire necessity.
Fundraising
Dr. Baman Das
Banerjee, an eye surgeon, had been worshipping a gorgeous deity of Lord Bäläjé
at his home for 25 years. When he grew old, he wanted to offer this Deity to
someone who would worship Him properly. Impressed by its Deity worship
standards, he offered the Deity to ISKCON Pune on the condition that a
beautiful temple be built for Him. He also donated property worth Rs. 1.25 crore.
Devotees bought the first piece of land — 75,000 square feet — with the money
obtained by selling this property. Thus, the first funds for the NVCC came from
Lord Bäläjé Himself.
At one time Gopäla Kåñëa
Goswami noted that only a large temple attracts a large number of people. With
this in mind, he set the fundraising goal at Rs. 15 crore. The fundraising
committee mobilized the whole congregation to take part in a massive
fundraising drive. In 2007, even before the bhümi-püjä
(which traditionally marks the start of construction), devotees had raised
a whopping Rs. 4 crores. So much money had never ever been raised before for
any ISKCON project so early in the process. As time progressed, the vision for
the new temple expanded. More land was acquired. By the time of the opening
ceremony, the total expenditure for the temple was Rs. 40 crores.
"We had no previous
experience of fundraising. We are primarily into training and preaching.
However, after a lot of brainstorming we launched the Mark Your Square Feet
scheme,” explains Çré Guru Caraëa Däsa, who led the fundraising efforts. With
the initial 75,000 square foot property and an initial budget of about 15 crore,
the scheme encouraged donors to sponsor the construction of a few square feet
of the temple at the rate of Rs. 2,000 per square foot. Due to years of successful
outreach programs, the Pune temple had a huge number of devotees and well-wishers.
With this support, the Mark Your Square Feet scheme was a triumph.
Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura,
a great spiritual master in the Gauòéya Vaiñëava disciplic succession, had once
gone door to door to collect funds for constructing the beautiful Yogapéöha temple
at the birth place Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu. He wanted as many people as
possible to get a chance to serve the Lord. Following in his footsteps, about a
thousand devotees actively participated in the fundraising activities for the NVCC.
It took them six years to raise the Rs. 40 crore. Along the way, about 40,000
Pune citizens got connected to the temple. Touched by the devotees’ sincerity
of purpose, many people opened their hearts and donated profusely — both in
kindness and in cash. As a result, many of them have also brought some of the principles
of Kåñëa consciousness into their lives. The fundraising drive added new
stories of heroism to the ISKCON Pune folklore — stories of selflessness, toil,
and accomplishment — to inspire devotees for generations to come.
Inauguration by the
President of India
The NVCC
construction progressed at a steady pace. In one special instance, even animals
did their part, undoubtedly inspired by the Lord. Without the devotees’
knowledge, one of the contractors had used substandard material for the false
ceiling inside the temple hall. Monkeys came and played on the temple roof. Their
running and jumping on the rooftop broke the false ceiling, exposing the
contractor’s error. No one had ever seen the monkeys before, and no has ever
seen them since. Perhaps they were sent by the Lord. Thus, by the combined
efforts of the fundraisers, the donors, the construction crew, the residents of
Pune (both human and animal), and the mercy of the Lord, the temple was ready
for inauguration on February 23–24, 2013, on the auspicious day of Nityänanda
Trayodaçé.
On Gopäla Kåñëa
Goswami’s request, the President of India, Çré Pranab Mukherjee, agreed to
inaugurate the NVCC. This raised the profile of the inauguration event to great
heights. It also added tremendous pressure on the NVCC team, since getting the
President to any event is full of uncertainties. But, by the Lord’s mercy, the
inauguration went well. The Governor of Maharashtra, K. Shankarnaraya, a
minister of Maharashtra, Harshawardhan Patil, the Mayor of Pune, Vaishali
Bankar, and Bollywood film star Hema Malini were also present.
In his speech, the
President spoke about ISKCON and Çréla Prabhupada in glowing words. His speech
was repeatedly broadcast on TV channels and must have increased many people’s
appreciation for ISKCON. He said, “...
If anyone notes the progress of the ISKCON movement, he will simply be struck
by the enormity of the velocity with which the movement has caught up. If time
is ripe for an idea, nothing can stop it. This principle can be applied to Çréla
Prabhupada’s movement. ... He dedicated his life to spreading the eternal
message of humanity — the teachings of the Bhagavad-gétä,
the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and the Gauòéya
Vaiñëava-sampradäya. … We are deeply appreciative of the contributions made by
this great movement. This magnificent center in the city of culture will
dedicate itself to the cause of humanity not by increasing strife, confrontation, and conflict, but by increasing
peace, harmony, love, and compassion.”
Gopäla Kåñëa Goswami
reflects, “The President’s visit was a historic event in all of ISKCON and will
attract thousands of visitors to this temple. It will enhance preaching to a
great degree. Çréla Prabhupäda and Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura wanted
to invite such big prominent leaders in society to draw the attention of the
public.”
The previous day,
the gorgeous Deities of Their Lordships Çré Çré Rädhä-Våndävanacandra, Çré Çré
Gaura-Nitäi, and Çré Çré Jagannätha, Baladeva, and Subhadrä were installed by a
spiritually and emotionally surcharged präëa-pratiñöhä ceremony. In this
ceremony, senior devotees request Their Lordships to manifest Themselves
through the Deities. Accompanied by rousing kértanas and elaborate abhiñeka
ceremony (bathing the Lords by water and other auspicious liquids), devotees
welcomed the Lords into Their magnificent new home. Many senior devotees,
including the GBCs for ISKCON Pune, were present to provide their invaluable
association to all present.
Meanwhile, about 40,000
devotees from all over India, and some even from abroad, had come to enthusiastically
participate in the inauguration festivities. Also in attendance were a huge
number of Pune citizens, for whom a number of stalls were set up to present
various aspects of Kåñëa consciousness. The visitors also had the option of
hearing talks given by various senior devotees; these talks were aired live on
local television.
Wonderful NVCC
The campus of the NVCC
occupies 6 acres. As soon as one enters the complex, a wide expanse of green
lawn meets the eye. Beyond that rises the magnificent Çré Çré Rädhä-Våndävanacandra
temple, extending from right to left. The temple has three tall spires similar
to the spires of the Jagannätha temple in Puré. The outside walls of the temple,
marble and red sandstone, are white and pink. To the left of the lawn is a building
in modern style that holds the Brahmacari Ashram for the 150 resident devotees
and a prasäda hall for 3,000 people. In the future, this building will
also contain other facilities like seminar halls, classrooms, and so on. Also
planned for the NVCC complex are a guest house and a Govinda’s restaurant. To
the right of the lawn, on top of a hill behind the main temple, is the temple
of Lord Bäläjé, reminiscent of Lord Bäläjé’s residence on the Tirumala Hills in
Tirupati. It is in the traditional South Indian style, using unpolished gray
granite.
The
main temple hall is on the first floor. Upon entering, you’re spellbound by
beauty. The eyes dart from one feature to another, anxious to take everything
in and yet eager to see every tiny detail. The flooring is pure white marble,
the same as used in the Taj Mahal. The flooring has multiple inlays — marble
patterns using natural sandstone. The biggest inlay is 30 feet in diameter, one
of the biggest in all the ISKCON temples in the world. Each flower in those
inlays is specially designed. The walls are decorated with gorgeous paintings
and murals, one side from gaura-lélä
and the other from kåñëa-lélä. Balconies
run along both walls. The ceiling has 13 domes. The underside of the biggest
dome is painted with Rädhä, Kåñëa, and the añöa-sakhés, while the other 12 domes
are painted with images of the mahäjanas, one each. Several peacock-shaped
chandeliers from China are suspended from the ceiling. The huge altar area is
made using onyx marble, one of the best in the world. It’s known for its
delightful translucence and softness. The intricate woodwork near the altar
depicts the different incarnations of the Lord. Opposite the altar, at the
other end of the hall, is a mürti of Çréla
Prabhupäda.
All the lighting for
the temple hall, including the chandeliers, is provided by LEDs. This rare
setup saves a lot of power. The domes use color-changing LEDs so they can be lit
up in different colors to create a variety of moods. The marble keeps the
temperature cool inside. A sophisticated system of ventilators and wind
turbines installed in the big dome ensures that hot air is sucked out and
natural air circulates though the hall. The hall is equipped with the best
audio-visual setup, with four projection screens. Aesthetically pleasing
sound-diffusing and sound-absorbing material ensures great acoustics. These and
many more delightful features make the hall the most welcoming place on earth.
And yet all this
beauty cannot match the beauty of the masters of the temple — the Deities. Çré
Çré Rädhä-Våndävanacandra and Çré Çré Gaura-Nitäi were carved in Jaipur. The devotees
very carefully decided exactly how the Deities should look, researching the
prominent features of other ISKCON Deities. For Lord Våndävanacandra, they
wanted His face to resemble the face of Lord Mädhava in Mäyäpur and His hands
to resemble the hands of Lord Gopénätha at Chowpatty, Mumbai. They wanted Rädhäräëé’s
features to be a mix of the features of the Rädhäräëé Deities in ISKCON’s Mäyäpur
and Våndävana temples. They wanted Gaura-Nitäi’s hands to resemble those of the
Gaura-Nitäi Deities in South Africa. The Jagannätha-Baladeva-Sudhadrä Deities came
from Puré. The smiling face of Lord Våndävanacandra and the graceful pose and
merciful mood of Gaura-Nitai are enrapturing. The beauty of Their Lordships
can’t be described in words, but after seeing Them there is no doubt that
nothing and no one can be anywhere near as beautiful as They. The original
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Çré Çré Rädhä-Våndävanacandra, resides in the
NVCC, eager to bestow His unlimited blessings to the residents of Pune.
A New Beginning
The inauguration of the NVCC marks the
beginning of a new chapter in ISKCON Pune’s history. Rädheçyäma Däsa summarizes
his vision for the project: “The NVCC will be a flourishing project where
children, students, working people, families, senior citizens, all will have
friends. They will also have satisfying cultural, educational, religious, and spiritual engagements. The
soothing spiritual
ambience with state-of-the-art interiors will bring great inner peace, homelike atmosphere, and ever-expanding
happiness to all visitors in such a way that nobody will feel like leaving.”
Not only will the NVCC continue to expand the current temple activities, it
will also venture into new and innovative ways of spreading Kåñëa consciousness.
For example, the multipurpose hall at NVCC will be used for dramas, art, music,
dance, debates, and so on, all to attract thousands to learn Kåñëa consciousness
through entertaining presentations. The NVCC will become a center for training
devotees from all parts of the world. It will also start rural outreach
programs to take the message to villages around Pune. This is but a glimpse
into the future of the NVCC.
The
NVCC is an offering of love from the devotees of Pune to Çréla Prabhupäda and
Çré Kåñëa. It’s a testament to how the temple residents and the congregation
worked together to achieve grand results for Kåñëa. It’s a story of
cooperation, perseverance, and faith. At this joyous juncture, pregnant with
grand possibilities, let’s all rejoice in this remarkable success story in the
glorious mission of Çréla Prabhupäda's ISKCON.
