Dham Seva Inc.

By Varsana Swami

Srila Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban four times. One of the significant sites of his pastimes is the house in Madhuvan where he resided during his last visit in 1976.

That house in Madhuvan is the site of the last darshan Srila Prabhupada gave to the New Vrindaban plow department. Darshans were scheduled according to department, and I was a member of the plow department. The last darshan is very exceptional.

During that darshan, Srila Prabhupada developed the conclusion that New Vrindaban is non-different from Bhauma Vrindaban. By the force of Srila Prabhupada’s intense desire, Krishna’s homeland of Vraja had been successfully transplanted to the west.

Srila Prabhupada had been instilling that truth in us all along. The devotees in that darshan had already accepted that conclusion as our life’s inspiration. We all knew by heart Srila Prabhupada’s first instructions in 1968, “The hills may be renamed New Govardhana. And if there are lakes, name them Shyama-kunda and Radha-kunda.”

“Seven temples on seven hills” had been the mantra of the entire community ever since receiving the letter in which he had instructed, “But now, let us build at least seven temples. On seven hills we will build seven main temples as in the original Vrindavan: Govindaji, Gopinatha, Madana-Mohana, Shyamasundara, Radha-Ramana, Radha-Damodar, Gokulananand.”

Nonetheless, during that last darshan with the plow department, Srila Prabhupada developed the conclusion that New Vrindaban is non-different from Bhauma Vrindaban.

Simply reading the transcript from that darshan, one is devoid of Srila Prabhupada’s physical body language. Thus, one might miss out on the full impact of what Srila Prabhupada was conveying. The devotees were feeling that all their sacrifices and ordeals were being perfectly acknowledged, appreciated, and reciprocated as Srila Prabhupada developed the message of his last darshan,

“This New Vrindaban is non-different from Bhauma Vrindavan. You don’t need to go to India, you have Sri Sri RadhaVrindavan Chandra here. Work together in a cooperative spirit to bring this vision into a manifest reality.”






In 1972, Srila Prabhupada had graced New Vrindaban with his personal presence on Janmastami and Vyasa-puja. During that visit, Srila Prabhupada presided over the installation of Radha Vrindaban Chandra in Bahulaban. This was the first temple room that had been built exclusively for Them.

With the Deities properly situated in a worthy place of worship, the devotees’ surging enthusiasm, abilities, inspiration, and population naturally turned to the next phase of Srila Prabhupada’s primary mandates – the seven temples.

The community had a clear and coherent plan for manifesting Srila Prabhupada’s instruction to build “seven temples on seven hills.” In the early days of New Vrindaban there were three “villages” where devotees lived: Madhuban, Bahulaban, and Old Vrindaban. Each village had its own center of worship, making it very convenient for the residents to serve and worship the Deities. We expected to build one temple in each of these three villages; and as the community grew and new villages were founded, each new village would become the site of one of the remaining temples.

The first of the seven temples was to have been Govindaji Mandir in Bahulaban. Excavation for Govindaji Mandir began in the spring of 1973. New Vrindaban hired Bob Black, a local farmer who owned a backhoe, to excavate the footer. I assisted Bob by providing transit work (leveling the ground) while he excavated. Our efforts were not very successful, however, because the machine was not adequate to break through the rock.

When I informed Kirtanananda Swami about the complication with the rock he replied, “When Indra wants to break up rock mountain tops, he sends his thunderbolts.”

I remembered having read that, but I didn’t see how it would apply in this situation.

The complication with the excavation of the footer for Govindaji Mandir put the temple construction project on hold.

I went back to farming. One day, I was plowing the fields at Bahulavan across the road from Govindaji Hill, preparing the ground to plant corn. I was pushing to finish plowing the field when dark rain clouds started moving in from the west and a cool breeze began to blow, making it clear that it was about to rain.

It was hot and the horses were sweating profusely. When horses are that hot, they can’t be out in the rain or they’ll get sick. Therefore, I pushed right up to the final minute and then unhooked the plow and put the horses in the barn just as the rain began.

The rain quickly turned into a severe thunderstorm. The downpour was so heavy that I chose to sleep in the manger in the horse barn that night rather than walk through the storm back to the ashram.

I couldn’t sleep because the thunder was blasting all night. The window outside the manger opened in the direction of Govindaji Hill and I observed something all through the night that I had never seen before. Lightning kept striking at normal intervals, twelve to fifteen times, all through the night. Every single time, it hit the exact same place – the excavation site of the temple on top of Govindaji Hill.

For the next few days, the footer of Govindaji Mandir was filled with water, delaying the excavation even longer. A few days later, after the water had drained out of the footer, Bob and I went back up to Govindaji Hill and continued the footer exaction. To our surprise and delight, the rock broke out easily this time. I cannot say definitely that it was because of the lightning because standing water will also loosen layered rock.

The excavation for the footer of Govindaji Mandir was completed in time so that the community was able to conduct two simultaneous installation ceremonies. There was a grand installation ceremony in Bahulaban for the cornerstone of Govindaji Mandir, the first of the seven temples that Srila Prabhupada had envisioned in New Vrindaban. There was another cornerstone ceremony for Srila Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold.

Ananta Sesa, the personification of the support system for the universe, was installed in the cornerstone of both footers simultaneously. This was the last step that was taken in the construction of Govindaji Mandir and for Srila Prabhupada’s vision for “seven temples on seven hills” for the next thirty years. The Govindaji Mandir project was abandoned and Ananta Sesa was continually re-located for the next three decades.

When construction began in New Vrindaban for the Temple of Understanding in 1988, I dug up Ananta Sesa in Bahulaban and relocated the Deity to a cornerstone at the new temple site in another official ceremony. I placed the Deity in a silver box, then placed that inside a steel box which was encased by the concrete blocks of the cornerstone.

The Temple of Understanding project was also abandoned, so I removed Ananta Sesa from the foundation yet again and hid Him in the woods. As portions of properties were sold and boundary lines kept shifting, I continually moved Ananta Sesa to other safe locations.

After I secured a tract of land, I named it Govardhana Hill in accordance with Srila Prabhupada’s first instructions for New Vrindaban in 1968: “The hills may be renamed New Govardhana. And if there are lakes, name them Shyama-kunda and Radha-kunda.” I decided Govardhan Hill was the safest place to house Ananta Sesa, and so I brought the Deity here, still in His secure, warm, stone box.

A few years later while giving a lecture at Govardhan on a busy festival day during Kartik, I saw the cornerstone on its side. The concrete had worn thin, the steel box had rusted through, and the inner silver box had sprung open. Inside, there was Ananta Sesa looking out upon everyone!

At this moment, Srila Prabhupada’s 1972 instruction regarding the seven temples of Vrindavan here in New Vrindaban resounded in my heart: “Begin immediately with whatever facilities you have.”

After forty years, it was beyond the time to follow this instruction. No more delays or excuses would be considered!

In 2011, to commence the construction of Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha Mandir at Govardhan, I performed a secret ceremony. This same Ananta Sesa Who is the foundation for all creation, and Who had migrated from various parts of New Vrindaban before finally resting here at Radha Gopinatha Mandir, was installed in the northeast cornerstone.

This particular temple is meant to give a residence to the most merciful Trinity, Sri Sri Radha Gopinath and Ananga Manjari; while at the same time fulfilling Srila Prabhupada’s wish for Vraja architecture to provide a holistic experience and awaken our hearts to the mellows of Vraja bhakti.

Therefore I have am constructing Radha Gopinatha Mandir as a replica of one of the original temples in Vrindavan, further imbibing the mood of Sri Vrindavan Dhama here in New Vrindaban.

The slogan of New Vrindaban’s pioneers – the mantra of the Brijabasi Spirit, “Seven temples on seven hills” – is bearing fruit as Radha Gopinath Mandir, the first mandir of the Six Goswamis’ worship, rises to complement the landscape of Srila Prabhupada’s Palace grounds.”

By Varsana Swami