Bhubaneswar ISKCON temple is located in the heart of the city and is home to the deities of Lord Krishna, Balaram, Radha, Jagannath, Gauara and Subhadra.
People from various places especially devotees of Lord Krishna come here to visit the temple and offer their praying.
ISKCON Temples in Bhubaneswar:
1. Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Temple- In 1991, on the auspicious day of Lord Nityananda’s appearance after 16 years of struggle , Srila Prabhupada’s last founded project i.e., Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Temple was completed. This temple and the guest house were built singlehandedly by Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja.
ISKCON temple Bhubaneswar is the first temple established by ISKCON out of 108 temples built worldwide. Over the years this temple has grown into a flourishing project which attracts thousands of visitors every year.
PC:https://www.instagram.com/iyfbhubaneswar/
JAGANNATH TEMPLE – The Abode of Lord Jagannath
Previously when the temple was built it was at a remote area with wild animals and dacoits where people feared to come but Srila Prabhupada once predicted that it will be the centre of the city and see the fate now it really is in the centre of the city. Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir is the one of the most popular temple in Bhubaneswar.
2. ISKCON Gundicha Temple– This temple is also located in the heart of the city and was built by the government of Odisha for making the permanent Gundicha temple for Lord Jagannath. Every year during Jagannath Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra from Iskcon temple visits this temple in a Rath procession as per the rituals.
ABOUT ISKCON
International Society for Krishna Consciousness famously known as ISKCON was founded in the year 1966 in New York by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Objectives:
ISKCON was established in Vedic tradition in West to perpetuate the ancient wisdoms of Vedas. Its main aim was to acquaint all people of the world with the principles of self realisation.
They follow the teachings of the Vedas and its Scriptures, including the Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagvatam which teaches the devotion to God Krishna.
Being an International society it has over 800 temples in different continents and countries including farm communities, ashrams, schools and institutes.
Things to do:
1.Visit the Vedic Culture Museum for some important and deep messages from Srimad Bhagavad-Gita and holy books of Hindus.
2.Explore the Ramayana Art Gallery and also experience some amazing sound and light show depicting the scenes of Ramayana.
3.Watch the Bhagavad-Gita Animatronics Robot show where robots narrate the philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita and Ramayana.
4.Last but not the least you can also explore the Vedic centre for Performing Arts for seeing the performances of artists from all over the world.
Things to remember:
1.As it is a religious place it is advised to wear decent clothing.
2.Photography is strictly prohibited.
3.Respect the local customs of the Temple.
4.No footwear allowed inside the temple.
Timings: MONDAY to SUNDAY (8:00am to 9:00pm)
*NO ENTRY FEES*
It is preferred that you should visit the temple between 12:00 pm to 03:00pm, because aarti, kirtan and prasadam takes place at that time.
How to Reach: As you can know from the above information that it is situated in the heart of the city so buses and cars are easily available from different parts of the city as well as towns.
Cover photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/travelbyajay
