World's largest temple, Vedic Planetarium, to open in West Bengal's Mayapur; here's what we know

The Institute of Vedic Cosmology, which will research and discuss Vedic accounts of the universe, will be housed in the Vedic Planetarium. It will also take you on a tour of various aspects of cosmic creation.

Aditi T

Mayapur, First Published Aug 27, 2022, 1:48 PM IST | Last Updated Aug 27, 2022, 1:52 PM IST

The Temple of Vedic Planetarium in Bengal's Mayapur district is being hailed as 'the world's largest religious monument,' Soon, it will be open for all. The temple, located 130 kilometres from Kolkata, will also house the International Society of Krishna Consciousness's main office (ISKCON). The temple is expected to open in July or August 2023.

The grand project's construction began in 2010 and was initially scheduled to be completed by 2016; however, the deadline was pushed further. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, construction was further delayed, and the opening date was pushed to next year.

Here are some of the salient characteristics of the Vedic Planetarium:
1) The structure is bigger than the Taj Mahal in Agra and St Paul's Cathedral in Vatican City. It will also be one of the tallest Hindu temples in the world.

2) The Temple of Vedic Planetarium in Bengal will reportedly have the world's largest dome on a religious monument.

3) The temple is expected to cost $100 million and can accommodate 10,000 devotees on each of its floors, where they can sing, pray, and dance in front of Lord Krishna.

4) The temple is in Mayapur, Nadia district, Bengal.

5) It will be led by Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of renowned businessman Henry Ford and future owner of Ford Motor Company, who changed his name to Ambarish Das in 1975 after joining ISKCON. He contributed $30 million for infrastructure.

6) Acharya Prabhupada envisioned the temple as a structure that would raise awareness about Vedic science.

7) The temple is lined with blue Bolivian marble, partly sourced from Vietnam.

8) Mayapur is also the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a 15th-century Indian Vaishnava saint regarded as Radha and Krishna's combined avatar.

9) The planetarium features a massive rotating model that depicts how planetary systems move as described in holy books such as the Bhagavata Purana.

10) ISKCON is reportedly in talks with the state tourism department about developing a city around the Mayapur temple to attract devotees worldwide.

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