Dear Vaisnavas,
Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. All glories to Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Navadvipa Dham.
On behalf of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission and the ISKCON Mayapur devotees, it is a pleasure to invite you to attend the 2024 Navadwipa Mandala Parikrama.
Navadwipa Mandala Parikrama was initiated some 475 year ago with Lord Nityananda taking Srila Jiva Gosvami on a parikrama of the holy dham. In recent times, since its inception in 1918 by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, the Gaudiya Vaisnavas have been performing parikrama around Sri Navadwipa Mandala. In 1972, Srila Prabhupada took some of his disciples on parikrama of Sri Navadwipa Dham, and since that time ISKCON Mayapur has been performing Navadwipa parikrama. Initially, during Srila Prabhupada’s time, ISKCON devotees were doing Navadwipa parikrama on buses. For the last 34 years devotees have been performing a more formal parikrama by walking and staying overnight at the various islands.
Sri Navadwipa Dham was made by Srimati Radharani as her offering to Krishna. Lord Krishna asked all the holy places to come to reside in Navadwipa Dham and they came. Navadwipa Dham is non-different from Vrindavan. This is the land of mercy, Audharya dham. Here, one can easily get mercy to awaken their dormant love of Krishna. When devotees visit Navadwipa parikrama, they not only see pastimes places of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, but also different holy places associated with Lord Krishna and His different incarnations. Additionally, many Acaryas had various pastimes and activities in the dham.
Every year about ten thousand devotees from around the world attend this parikrama and receive the causeless mercy of the acharyas, Lord Nityananda, Lord Gaurasundara, and Sri Navadwipa Dham. Devotees get the opportunity to visit the places of pastimes, hear sweet pastimes of the Lord from several advanced devotees, experience ecstatic kirtan and dance, make new devotee friends from around the world, and relish delicious prasadam. And different acharyas within the ages has also had various pastimes and activities in the dham.
2024 Navadwipa Mandala Parikrama is very special as it marks the 52th anniversary of the parikrama and the 34th anniversary of the more formal parikrama. This year there is an additional seventh party. Seventh party will be from South India – Tamil, Telugu, Malayali and Kannada speakers. This is addition to the International, Russian, the Hindi and 3 Bengali parties of which 2 are from India and 1 from Bangladesh. We need your support in preparing to celebrate the 34th anniversary of the formal parikrama this year, and the opening of the Temple of Vedic Planetarium.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming you for the parikrama.
Your humble servant
Jayapataka Swami