Mayapur

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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
Neighborhood
Mayapur Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: 23°26′18″N 88°23′34″E / 23.4382755°N 88.3928686°E / 23.4382755; 88.3928686
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Nadia
Languages
• Official	Bengali, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	741313
Telephone code	91 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

1.5km
1mile

Horse Shoe Lake

Jalangi River

Hooghly River

Gouranga Setu

Nabadwip bus stand

Bishnupriya RS

Nabadwip Dham RS

Birthplace of Bishnupriya

Manipur Rajbari

Birthplace of Mahaprabhu

ISKCON temple

Buro Shiva temple

Dwadash Shiva temple

Sribas Angan temple complex

Mahaprabhutala temple complex

Poramatala temple complex

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

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.

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.