Building the 700ft Vrindavan temple: A mix of faiths, expertise and nationalities
AGRA: The Chandrodaya Temple being built in Vrindavan is a tall order. At 700ft, the temple will be three times the height of Delhi’s Qutub Minar.
But what is more unique about the project is that the temple is being constructed — both in terms of funding and logistical support — by people of several faiths and nationalities.
A project by Bengaluru devotees of the International Society for The Chandrodaya Temple in Vrindavan, when completed, will be the world’s tallest religious structure Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the temple is being worked on by 25 specialist consultants from across the world. The core architectural team itself comprises people from different faiths. Jagminder Singh, a Sikh, leads the principal architect’s team, while Misam Imam heads the structural design team. Chris Meering, a Christian, is in charge of the team handling vertical transport.
“Srila Prabhupada, while beginning the ISKCON movement in 1965, made clear that this was for an international society comprising all castes, creed, religions, nationalities and beyond boundaries. The temple at Vrindavan is coming up with this ideology and is open for all,” said Narsimha Dass, senior vice-president and project director.
Planned at a cost of `700 crore, the temple will have four halls — one for Acharya Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, one for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, one for Radha Krishna and the Astha Sakhis, and one for Sri Krishna Balaram — Dass said. A devotee will have to walk 1.2km to reach the room for ‘darshan’.
“Once constructed, it will be the tallest and largest religious structure in India, covering an area of five acres. Piling work will continue till next Holi after which the work for raising the tower will begin,” the project director said.
The temple’s foundation stone was laid by CM Akhilesh Yadav in March 2014. Later that October, President Pranab Mukherjee visited the site for the Ananth Sesh Sthapna poojan. Work on the temple finally began in 2015, with the deadline set for 2022. However, working with such a collection of experts has its challenges. “We are done with the concept phase and are now working on schematic details, with focus on durability over centuries,” Misam Imam said.