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By Madhava Smullen<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n Since its construction, Srila Prabhupada\u2019s Palace has been the heart and soul of the New Vrindaban community in West Virginia. A sacred Smriti Samadhi, it is the greatest memorial to ISKCON\u2019s Founder-Acharya in the Western World. <\/p>\n What\u2019s more, it was beloved by Prabhupada himself, who wanted to retire to it to translate his books, and repeatedly asked when it would be completed. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen my palace will be ready I shall go there and stay,\u201d he wrote in 1974. \u201cI like very much that place, very calm and quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n So it is inspirational for many that this year has seen renewed energy and attention at Prabhupada\u2019s Palace, as devotees work to again increase the international recognition it receives.<\/p>\n An important step was enlisting a qualified person to facilitate the effort. Enter new Palace Manager Vrajadhama Das from Toronto, who has been a devotee for twenty years and worked as an office manager and sales trainer before joining Prabhupada\u2019s Palace this March.<\/p>\n \u201cServing Srila Prabhupada nicely is our priority,\u201d he says. \u201cIf we\u2019re not doing that, it doesn\u2019t really matter what other improvements we\u2019re making.\u201d<\/p>\n To that end, a priority for Vrajadhama was to renovate a room in the Palace for a pujari, Srinama Das, to live in so that he can attend to Srila Prabhupada\u2019s care full-time. <\/p>\n Devotees are also renovating the Palace kitchen, so that Srinama can prepare Prabhupada\u2019s meal offerings onsite rather than transporting them up the hill from the temple.<\/p>\n The next priority is, of course, making sure that the devotees serving Prabhupada are happy. <\/p>\n \u201cOne way I try to do that is by recognizing and appreciating the devotees for the hard work that they\u2019ve been doing here for so many years,\u201d Vrajadhama says. \u201cI walk the grounds of the Palace every morning, and stop and talk to everyone to see if they need anything and if they\u2019re satisfied in their service. I also try to make sure that people are engaged in activities that suit their personal abilities, which was Srila Prabhupada\u2019s philosophy of management.\u201d<\/p>\n These efforts have resulted in increased staff enthusiasm and numbers, with four local people and twenty-one devotees engaged in various capacities, up considerably from previous years. <\/p>\n With the staff numerous and active, Prabhupada\u2019s Palace is also seeing increased attendance at several unique programs that utilize its atmosphere of personal association with Srila Prabhupada.<\/p>\n One of these is the monthly Prabhupada Sangam, started in Spring 2013 by husband and wife Kripamaya Das and Krsna Bhavi Dasi, both Prabhupada disciples, and maintained today by Vrajadhama and his wife Nityananda Dasi. <\/p>\n \u201cThe evening starts off with grand disciples or second generation devotees talking about what Prabhupada means to them,\u201d says Vrajadhama. \u201cWe then have Prabhupada disciples speak about their personal experiences with him \u2013 both local disciples as well as visiting devotees like Nanda Kumar Prabhu or Srutakirti Prabhu, who had lots of one-on-one time with him. It\u2019s very sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sangams are an attempt to bring Prabhupada\u2019s Palace to life. \u201cI really wanted to bring the New Vrindaban community members back to the Palace,\u201d says Vrajadhama. \u201cTo let them know, this is not just a place for tourists, but this is Prabhupada\u2019s home \u2013 he\u2019s here, and he wants you to come and visit.\u201d<\/p>\n Each event is filmed and archived on the New Vrindaban Youtube page, and the last one was livestreamed on Facebook, an exciting new step in utilizing modern technology.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, as a way of reaching out to the public Kirtan Experience events are held on the First Friday of every month. Introduced in April this year, they are advertised locally in Wheeling and surrounding areas as a way to \u201cenliven, unite and inspire through transcendental music.\u201d <\/p>\n Between 30 and 50 people usually attend these programs, many of them general public who appreciate the sweet and informal vibe. Devotees from different ISKCON New Vrindaban departments take turns leading each time, starting off with slow bhajans and building until everyone is jumping up and down, spinning in circles, and having an all round great time. <\/p>\n Sharing that joy of Krishna consciousness with a much larger public audience was this year\u2019s fifth annual Festival of Colors on September 17th<\/sup>, held on the Palace grounds. Drawing nearly three thousand local people despite rainy weather, it saw families and students chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, dancing, throwing colors and taking tours of Prabhupada\u2019s Palace.<\/p>\n Feedback has been very positive, and weather providing in future years Vrajadhama feels the Festival can again hit previous heights of 4,500 and beyond.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a reasonable expectation: this year, overall tourism at Prabhupada\u2019s Palace already increased from 20,000 annually to approximately 30,000. Vrajadhama attributes this to stronger social media presence, as well as an increasing interest from TV, radio and print media.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really about getting ourselves out there,\u201d says Vrajadhama. \u201cBecause we have so much to offer. People are becoming aware that we\u2019re doing a lot of work here, and that we\u2019re ready to reintroduce ourselves to the world. They\u2019re excited about that, and they want to come and see what we\u2019re up to.\u201d<\/p>\n Besides Srila Prabhupada, the regular events and Palace tours, there\u2019s a lot to see these days, with many physical improvements being made too. <\/p>\n A new Smoothie Shack opened at the Palace on Memorial Day in May, with devotees repurposing and renovating an unused gazebo. Painting it the Palace Wall\u2019s signature salmon pink, they added four matching bistro-style tables with umbrellas, and began serving fresh fruit smoothies, freshly squeezed organic lemonade, and ice cream. <\/p>\n In the future, there are plans to add a grill to offer sandwiches and other hot snacks. More benches will also be added in shaded areas to make the Palace grounds more welcoming. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an added service for guests who\u2019ve come a long way,\u201d Vrajadhama says. \u201cNow they can sit down and look out over our lotus pond with a refreshing Strawberry Bananarama or Mango smoothie, and just take time to absorb the serene atmosphere. This is a place of pilgrimage, so we really want people to slow down, and see Krishna everywhere in the natural beauty of New Vrindaban.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Prabhupada\u2019s Palace itself is undergoing a major restoration project, with beautiful new rose and black granite steps, and a new drainage system to protect against water damage. The outer wall is being stabilized with rebar and concrete, and given a new durable stucco finish, a saffron topping with lotus designs, and ornate black window frames in Jaipur-style arches.<\/p>\n As the construction team does this work, Vrajadhama is overseeing painters who have repainted the Palace\u2019s ornate black and gold exterior, its railings, and its chattras, or lookout towers, giving a fresh new appearance.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Next, the Palace roof, which has been leaking and causing internal damage for years, will be stripped and rebuilt, along with a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Whatever work devotees do, Vrajadhama feels, it will be successful as long as they keep Srila Prabhupada in the center and remember that he is always present at his Palace. As he told devotees in 1974, \u201cI am already living here and always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s evident to both devotees and guests,\u201d says Vrajadhama. \u201cOne woman took the tour this summer after she saw the Palace in a commercial. During the tour, she was listening very intently, really absorbing all the information. Then, when we turned the corner, entered Srila Prabhupada\u2019s study, and saw him behind his desk writing in his murti form, she began to cry. Tears were running down her face, and she was overwhelmed with emotion. The others on the tour felt it too. And at that moment I knew that Srila Prabhupada is here \u2013 and that although he might physically appear to be absent, he will always be in his Palace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis,\u201d concludes Vrajadhama, \u201cIs what makes Prabhupada\u2019s Palace such an important place, and why it\u2019s so important for us to continue improving and caring for it. Not only for us, but also for our children, and their children, and for the people of America \u2013 to be able to come and experience its gifts far into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Overall tourism at Prabhupada\u2019s Palace has increased from 20,000 annually to approximately 30,000. One woman took the tour this summer after she saw the Palace in a commercial. During the tour, she was listening very intently, really absorbing all the information. Then, when we turned the corner, entered Srila Prabhupada\u2019s study, and saw him behind his desk writing in his murti form, she began to cry. Tears were running down her face, and she was overwhelmed with emotion. The others on the tour felt it too. And at that moment I knew that Srila Prabhupada is here \u2013 and that although he might physically appear to be absent, he will always be in his Palace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32406"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32408,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32406\/revisions\/32408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Hare](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-nWwPwDtrG3Q\/WARtNRkdqdI\/AAAAAAAAfvQ\/7ZPi0xUJw4M\/s0\/2016-10-17_08-18-28.jpg\")
By Madhava Smullen<\/strong><\/p>\n