The Māyāpur and Vṛndāvana International Centers.

WHEN LORD KRSNA APPEARED ON EARTH 5,000 YEARS AGO, He appeared in the village of Vrndavana, India. Thus Vrndavana, inconceivably, is nondifferent from the spiritual abode of the Lord. If one goes to Vrndavana, he will immediately feel loving separation from Krsna, who performed such nice activities when He was present there.

Lord Krsna appeared again, 4,500 years after His Vrndavana pastimes, as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya, who appeared in the City of Mayapur, India, to spread love of Krsna through the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, is actually Krsna Himself, as confirmed by Vedic scriptures. Thus there is no difference between Vrndavana and Mayapur; they are both as good as the spiritual world.

The great spiritual masters in the Krsna conscious chain of disciplic succession have long desired that people from all over the world-of all races, religions and nationalities-be given a chance to visit these holy places and thus revive their dormant love of Krsna. Therefore, to fulfill the desires of his spiritual masters, our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is constructing beautiful International Centers for these two holy cities.

The Centers will have modern guest houses, opulent marble temples, schools for instructing the Vedic arts and sciences, gardens, libraries, and galleries of transcendental art. It is an ambitious project, but with the help of ISKCON's friends and life-members, it is progressing steadily. In Vrndavana, construction of the ISKCON temple of Krsna and Balarama (Krsna's elder brother) is in full swing, and in Mayapur a palatial four-story guest house has already been completed. The proposed temple in Mayapur, 350 feet high, will have 108 domes. A swirling mural surrounding its central staircase will depict elevation from the material world to the topmost spiritual abode.

In Vrndavana and Mayapur, Srila Prabhupada has directed, chanting should go on twenty-four hours a day, "so that no one will hear any other vibration than the chanting of the holy names of the Lord." These important International Centers will be special places where people may go for spiritual inspiration and renewal, to return home with fresh insight and the inner peace of Krsna consciousness. Every year in March, ISKCON holds its annual World Meeting at the thirty-acre Mayapur asrama to celebrate the Appearance Day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Society extends to all the readers of Back to Godhead an open invitation to attend this festival.