The Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust

Śrī Māyāpur, Nadia District, West Bengal, India

Once in Vṛndāvana during Śrīla Prabhupāda’s last days, he suddenly began to shed tears, lamenting that many of the old temples founded by Lord Caitanya’s followers were giving way to ruin. He then expressed his desire to set up a trust to renovate these holy places.

Lord Caitanya had told the Gosvāmīs of Vrndāvana to rediscover the lost places of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Vṛndāvana pastimes. Later, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura found the place of Lord Caitanya’s birth. Now Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to renovate the pastime places of Lord Caitanya and His personal associates.

Lord Caitanya started the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in the holy tract of land known as Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi (now West Bengal and Bangladesh). The places where He lived and the homes, temples, and Deities of His associates form the roots of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. By seeing to the health of these roots, we can help Kṛṣṇa consciousness grow to encircle the whole world, with blossoms, flowers, and fruits in every town and village.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, therefore, set up the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust. He made Śrīla Jayapatākā Swami its lifetime chairman and placed funds in a fixed-deposit account, so that interest from the account could provide for the work of the Trust.

To unite the devotees of Lord Caitanya, he also envisioned offering help to the temples of his Godbrothers and other Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas in Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi.

PROJECT LEADERS

The Trust is overseen by a body of trustees, of whom His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami is the chairman. There is a working committee made up of devotees from ISKCON and other Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava institution.

GOALS

To rediscover and restore the holy places in Bengal connected with the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. To provide suitable arrangements for pilgrims in these places. To unite the followers of Lord Caitanya, especially those descended from Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Goswami Prabhupāda.

GOALS

To rediscover and restore the holy places in Bengal connected with the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. To provide suitable arrangements for pilgrims in these places. To unite the followers of Lord Caitanya, especially those descended from Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Goswami Prabhupāda.

OBSTACLES

With the onset of Western materialistic culture in India, local involvement in many of the old temples has seriously declined. Some temples lie in remote villages where people are too poor to maintain them.

Yet inflation has cut away at the value of the funds Śrīla Prabhupāda allotted to the Trust. This limits how much work the Trust can do. Śrīla Prabhupāda founded the Trust at the very end of his stay with us. So, unlike his other projects, it never developed under his direct guidance. Many devotees, therefore, are unaware of the Trust and its importance. Busy with working around the world to spread Lord Caitanya’s teachings, we may neglect places sacred to the heritage we are trying to spread. While we buy land in holy places for new temples and residences, old temples crumble.

PLANS

  • The Trust plans to put together a computerized database on the holy places related to Lord Caitanya and His associates. The database will note where the places are, what condition they’re in, and what work needs to be done.

  • Temples falling apart need to be renovated. Lost places known only from old writings need to be found.

  • And neglected places known only to local residents need to be located and restored.

  • Another plan calls for setting up multilingual plaques to mark the way in holy places and provide information for pilgrims.

  • A book is to be published telling what Lord Caitanya’s associates did in various places and giving directions for reaching those places. Such a book was already published in Bengali several years back, but an English version containing updated information is scheduled to be released soon.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you’re able, come to Māyāpur to help with research and renovation. Or else donate funds to help the work. You can “adopt a holy place.” That means you take a personal interest in providing for the daily worship, clothes for the Deities, and so on. This website contains information about the holy places in Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi.

Send donations to: Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust
  • Current A/c No. 067402000001046
  • Indian Overseas Bank
  • Māyāpur Branch
  • IFSC – IOBA 0000 674