Unique Festival Season

01-19-2005, 11:29 AM

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Now that the so-called Holiday Season is over, the best festivals are about to
begin. This year there is a unique opportunity with festivals in Prabhupada's
Office, Home, and Place of Bhajan. From Feb. 12 - 20 a grand Festival will be
there at Cross Maidan in Bombay where over 30 years ago Srila Prabhupada held a
massive Pandal Program with more than 30,000 people attended daily. Then the
third week of February marks the 2nd Anniversary of Vrinda Devi Temple in
Vrinda Kunda, near Nandagram. From Feb. 23 - Mar. 4, Deena Bandhu Prabhu will
be taking out parikramas ever other day from Krishna Balaram Mandir and the
final day will be special parikrama and feast at Vrinda Kunda. Starting on Mar.
8 in Mayapur with a Grand Prabhupada Family Renunion, the Gaura Purnima
Festival will continue to Mar 25.

For further information on the Cross Maidan Festival, you can contact and get
registration forms and information on accommodation from
prabhupadfestivalmumbai (AT) pamho (DOT) net. Registration is only Rs.100 and includes
free prasadam. For further information about Mayapur Gaura Purnima Festival
then visit www.mayapur.info.

Everyone still remembers the fabulous festival for the anniversary of Juhu
temple a couple of years ago, so you don't want to miss this one. All the
Bombay ISKCON temples really know how to put on a festival!

Then come to Holy Land of Vrindavan and enjoy wonderful parikramas in the nice
spring season weather from Feb 23 - Mar 4. This is a rare opportunity since
usually after Gaura Purnima, the weather is very hot especially since this year
Gaura Purnima is quite late. Parikramas will be going out every other day to
the sacred places where Radha Krishna displayed Their Divine Pastimes. Then on
Mar. 4, there will be a special parikram of Nandagram and Feast at Vrinda
Kunda.

At the opening of Vrinda Kunda temple, we took out a kalash yatra with all our
devotee ladies along with the local Brijbasinis carrying brightly colored water
pots with coconuts on their heads on a Sankirtan Procession around Nandagram
and taking darshan of the Deities. Many ladies commented to me later, that this
was the first time the ladies were invited to take an important part in a
procession. My Godsister Mother Kaulini told me that this experience changed
her whole life. So we're going to do this again on Mar. 4.

For booking in Krishna Balaram Guest House, you may contact at
Ganapati.gkg (AT) pamho (DOT) net or phone at +91 565 254 0022. For booking at MVT, you
may contact MVT (AT) pamho (DOT) net or phone at +91 565 254 0050. For information, you
can contact the Information Center at Krishna Balaram Mandir at
ISKCON.Vrindavan (AT) pamho (DOT) net or phone at +91 565 254 0343 or +91 9897020343. They
can assist you with alternative accommodations, taxis, and train tickets. They
have safe registered taxis to pick you up or drop you at the airport or train
station.

For those coming from Bombay to Vrindavan or from Vrindavan to Mayapur, the
following is information about the most convenient trains. There are other
trains but they are much slower and inconvenient.

Bombay to Vrindavan

The fastest and best train to Mathura is the August Kranti Rajdhani Express
Leaves Bombay Central at 17:40 reaching Mathura at 09:00

Next fastest to Mathura leaving from stations closer to Juhu are:

1.) Paschim Express leaves Bandra at 11:35 reaches Mathura at 07:30

2.) Golden Temple Express leaves Borivali at 22:04 reaches Mathura - 16:30

3.) Swaraj Express leaves Borvali at 08:30 reaches N. Delhi at 04:30

A couple of hours slower is:

Punjab Mail leaves Dadar at 19:20 reaches Mathura at 17:35

All the above also go on from Mathura to Delhi. If Delhi is your destination,
then the fastest is the Rajdhani Express
Leaves Bombay Central at 16:55 reaches N. Delhi at 09:55

Vrindavan to Mayapur

First of all to get to Mayapur from Vrindavan you can save a lot of time and
money getting down at Barddhaman Station which is much closer than Calcutta.
Most trains except Rajdhani stop there. From there you can get a taxi to either
the Nabadvip Boat Ghat and take a boat and riksaw to Mayapur or spend another
45 minutes to go over the Gauranga Bridge to Krishna Nagar and then straight to
ISKCON Mayapur costing a couple hundred rupees extra. See WWW.Mayapur.info for
more information on taxi rates.

There is only one train directly from Mathura to Bardhaman or Calcutta and that
is the Toofan Express. But believe me, once you've been on it, you will never
go on that train again.

The two best trains leave from Aligarh which is an hour and half taxi drive
from Vrindavan costing Rs.750.

1.) Kalka Mail leaves Aligarh at 09:45 reaches Barddhaman at 05:50 or Howrah at
07:25

2.) Poorva Express leaves Aligarh at 18:05 reaches Barddhaman at 14:50 or
Howrah at 16:35

If Calcutta is your destination then the two fastest are:

Howrah Rajdhani Express leaves N. Delhi at 17:00 reaches Howrah at 10:45

Sealdah Rajdhani Express leaves N. Delhi at 16:45 reaches Sealdah at 10:45

A lesser known train that I found very convenient and uncrowded since it
doesn't start from Delhi is:

Jodhpur-Howrah Express leaves Agra Fort at 06:40 reaches Howrah at 04:20

In service of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram,
Deena Bandhu dasa