Temple Timings
Opening Time
8:30am – 11:00am
3:30pm – 8:00pm
This place, Māyāpur, was formerly known as Miyapura. Mostly it is inhabited by the Muhammadans. Some way or other it converted into the name of Miyapura instead of Māyāpur. Still, people are very much doubtful where is the birth site of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was researching to find out the actual place. So under the direction of Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, this present Yogapīṭha was ascertained to be the birth site of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in the beginning wanted to develop this place very gloriously, befitting the holy name of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So he started this movement of developing Māyāpur. He could not finish it, so it was handed down to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. So under his effort, assisted by his disciples, this place has gradually developed, and our attempt is also to develop this place. Therefore we have named this temple Māyāpur Chandrodaya. We have got great ambition to develop this place nicely and gloriously, and fortunately we are now connected with foreign countries, especially with the Americans. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s great desire was that the Americans would come here and develop this place, and they would chant and dance along with the Indians.
(760221 – Lecture Festival Appearance Day, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati – Mayapur)
Śrī Gokula, the abode of gopis and gopas in Vraja, appears in Navadvipa-dhāma as the abode of brahmana families. In the center of Mayapur exists the supremely pure, eternal residence of the brahmana – Jagannatha Misra. Though eyes affected by material illusion will see only a small house, some earth, water, and a few articles, if Māyā becomes merciful and lifts her covering, one will see a vast spiritual dwelling. Śrī Gauranga is served here by His eternal mother, father and countless servants, all incessantly mad with love. Lakṣmīpriyā and Visnupriya eternally serve the Lord’s lotus feet. The Supreme Lord is seen here in His wonderful form as the Pañca-tattva.
(Sri Navadvipa Bhava-taranga)
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the land of Bhārata-varṣa, specifically in Bengal, in the district of Nadia, where Navadvīpa is situated. It is therefore to be concluded, as stated by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, that within this universe, this earth is the best planet, and on this planet the land of Bhārata-varṣa is the best, in the land of Bhāratavarṣa, Bengal is still better, in Bengal the district of Nadia is still better, and in Nadia the best place is Navadvīpa because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared there to inaugurate the performance of the sacrifice of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
(SB 5.19.24 purport)
Information – Bhaktivinoda Thakura personally collected funds to purchase this land and built a small temple here. His son and spiritual successor, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, built the present day temple. All these deities were installed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur.
Information – A great shrine, externally one of the biggest in Bengal, was opened to worship on the 20th of March 1935 by His Highness Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Dev Yarman Manikya Bahadur of the Tripura State, at Sridham Mayapur (old Nabadwip), on the Birth-site of the Supreme Lord Sree Krishna Chaitanya. The Temple is 125 feet high. Its donor is a merchant of Calcutta, Srijut Sakhi charan Roy Bhaktivijoy, a devoted servant of Sreedham Mayapur.
(THE HARMONIST AS IT IS VOL.7 (VOL. XXXI, Sept.1934 – July 1935), Page 345)
Information – His Highness Maharaja Manikya Bahadur – From long I desired to pay a visit to this Holy place, the Centre of learning in Bengal, which saw its fulfilment at your call and through mercy of the Supreme Lord. Our line is included in the Gaudiya Vaishnava community, and accordingly, the PIace of Birth and activities of Sriman Mahaprabhu are very dear to me. About 43 Years ago my great-grand father of sacred memory Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur assisted in erecting the House of the Supreme Lord at Sridham Mayapur. My revered grand father Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya Bahadur installed Sri Sri Radha Madhabjiu at this place. So I feel highly gratified to join the opening ceremony of this magnificent Temple and I hold in great esteem the serving mood of Sj. Sakhi Charan Roy, Bhaktivijoy, the generous donor of the newly constructed huge Shrine.
(THE HARMONIST AS IT IS VOL.7 (VOL. XXXI, Sept.1934 – July 1935), Page 352)
For further reading – Address of Sree Nabadwipdham Pracharini Sabha to His Highness Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Dev Burman Manikya Bahadur of Tripura State on 20 March 1935.
(THE HARMONIST AS IT IS VOL.7 (VOL. XXXI, Sept.1934 – July 1935), Page 369)
Information – Sridham Mayapur is, therefore, categorically different from the village Mayapur as it appears to our view. Sridham Mayapur can not be perceived by our senses. Neither can it be conceived by the human mind. It is the Reality. It has the power of making itself known to our souls. It is full of mercy being the manifestation of the plenary or real power of the Godhead. It is the eternal Abode of Godhead Himself. We can not have access to Godhead Himself. We can not have access to Godhead except by its means. We can also have no access to itself except by its grace. The method by which its grace may be attained can be learnt only from those who themselves possess such knowledge by the grace of seemingly insentient locality identical with the sentient paraphernalia of Godhead. Such knowledge is categoricaly different from empiric knowledge. We must not obscure the issue by confounding the one with the other. We have to receive this new knowledge by submitting unconditionally to be enlightened by the self-revealing entity itself. In other words we must agree to receive the knowledge from the Vaishnabas in the assurance that as soon as we accept it on its own terms all our doubts and difficulties will be cleared up to our satisfaction by the light shed by itself. We can not have access to it either by ‘blind’ faith or by ‘blind reasoning. We can find it only by living faith which is self-illuminating.
(THE HARMONIST AS IT IS VOL.3 (VOL. XXVII, June 1929 – May 1930), Page 134)