“[New Mayapur] is a first-class place. You can develop it into a Vaikuntha. It is already Vaikuntha, Krsna is there.” -Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation, July 31, 1976.
It was one of Srila Prabhupada’s favorite places. With its dense forests and opulent castle, New Mayapur, situated in the centre of France, was and still is a truly unique sight amongst the ISKCON temples worldwide. Srila Prabhupada envisioned it to be the European Headquarters of his mission. Back in the 1980s, the temple was flourishing. There were dozens and dozens of brahmacharis living in the castle, and scores of families living in the village nearby, Shantipur, which was owned by the devotees. It even had its own bakery, theatre, and international guesthouse!
Now some time has passed, and New Mayapur isn’t as populated. But devotees are still working hard, and with enthusiasm, to serve the mission of His Divine Grace. The temple president, Lochanananda Dasa, goes himself on catering twice a week, and sometimes more, to provide a steady income for the community. New Mayapur is the only place in the world, apart from Vrindavan, where Srila Prabhupada installed Krishna Balarama Deities, and Their worship is still carried on to this day by humble and loving pujaris.
HH Janananda Goswami, who has been involved with the French Yatra for a number of years now, is dedicated to this project, and wishes to see it shine again. He has been working hard to bring individuals to France, and to create once again a united and dynamic community. New Mayapur is home to many senior devotees, who have been serving there for decades, such as HG Gopaswami Prabhu, who is now an initiating spiritual master. The French Yatra has also benefited from the gracious help and appreciation of many humble and advanced devotees, such as HH Bhakti Caru Swami, HH Sivarama Swami, HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, and many others.
Despite our good spirit though, we still face a number of problems, as France is slowly stepping out of its lockdown. New Mayapur relies for its income on music festivals, where we are selling prasadam throughout the summer. They are now being cancelled one by one, and the castle’s roof, being old and in a bad state, is deteriorating further and further every day. A part of the castle is now facing serious damage, and it is only a matter of time before other parts start to collapse too. Srila Prabhupada’s castle is in dire need of repair, and we have estimated the cost for urgent repair alone to be 35 000 €. We opened a GoFundMe campaign, and have raised so far around 12 000 €.
We do know that the situation is now complicated for everyone, and that messages such as these might appear more and more on social media, in devotee circles, etc… But we do believe that this place was close to Srila Prabhupada’s heart, and that it is worth saving and repairing. We therefore humbly ask you if you’d be willing to help us repair the castle roof.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration,
Your servants,
New Mayapur Team.
For more information, and to make a donation, please visit:
https://fr.gofundme.com/f/help-us-fix-the-roof-in-new-mayapur
Visit our website:
newmayapur.com
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