Sacred Travel, Nov – 20 – 2011 — Who does not like to spend all time in eternal love with God? Everyone likes to do it and the Iskcon temples ensure you have your own freedom of religion and expression of love to God. While I was in Bangalore I decided I wasn’t going to let anything come my way of going to this temple in the Garden city.
Iskcon Temple Bangalore is located on a hill and spans over an area of around 7 acres. The hill is called the Hare Krishna Hills. This temple here was mainly built in memory of the 100 birth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. The architecture is Neo classical and the conventional methods mixed with the modern technique makes the temple look unique. There are modern amenities in the temple and the whole structure is a sight to see.
Lying in the state of Karnataka in the city of gardens, Bangalore, ISKCON, is a place which is dominated by beauty, elegance and poise. The beautiful rajagopurams here and the arches with intricate patterns make the place a lovely paradise. Added to this, walk further along and get enthralled by the lovely waterfalls here. Though artificial these waterfalls lend a lot of beauty to the tired tourists’ eye. There are in all four gopurams. They are interconnected with the help of a canopy made of glass. The whole complex forms the Hari Naam Kirtan which is around 10,000 sq feet with a beautiful ceiling which has a lot of paintings.
As we entered the Iskcon Temple Bangalore and I managed to see all this, I was also curious about the Vedic Theatre here. These showcase the best of Indian culture and the Vedic Theatre is another area of recreational facility. There are lot of exhibit areas here and a lecture hall where we could attend the seminars and the lectures. The gardens here are beautiful and the landscape is excellent. The view is beautiful and the whole area gives a sense of calm. I was struck by the open air amphitheatre that was here and it was perhaps the best structure that I could have seen in this part of the world.
Thus the Iskcon Temple Bangalore or the Sri Radha Krishna Chandra Temple is situated in the northern side of Bangalore. The temple is well connected to the whole city and has various modes of transports. All reach the sanctum sanctorum with the best transport methods that are available in the city. The Bengaluru International Airport connects the other cities of India with this city. So the ISKCON temple here is the best thing that you could do, and you should surely visit the temple.
In the year 1987, the temple was operating from the house that was rented in the city of Bangalore. In those days there were only very few devotees who were here. Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa was the President of the Temple. Then the ISKCON Bangalore bought the 7 acre land in the Bangalore Development Authority or the BDA. The BDA described this as a waste land and this was also known as the “Karaab land”. This was in those days a huge piece of rock of the monolithic structure. The BDA gave permission for the land to be bought for the temple and it was bought for only 11 lakhs. Then the devotees managed to collect the sum and there were many donors who paid through and then the temple started.
The main concept was to have a glass and gopuram temple with the mix of traditional and modern elements. The entire concept was very unique because of the hilly terrain here.
Around 10 million man hours were put in and around 600 skilled craftsmen worked on this site. Some of the structures in the temple were very unique. There was the Garbhagriha, which was a place where all the deities were standing on a single stone piece which was at a height of 90 feet.
Ferro cement was used to build the gopurams and this is the first time that this technology was used. The main structure was made of steel and a strong wire mesh covered the entire area. This mesh was covered with cement and also concrete. The entire structural dynamics was excellent and a great example of masterpiece construction.
The base was around 36 feet high and around 18 feet broad. There were intricate designs, and there was a gold plate pot. This was placed on the top of a pulley with a chain from the ground level to the top. This engineering feat was something that couldn’t have been imagined in those days.
The designing of the temple started in the year 1990, and the pratishta ceremonies and the installation of the deity was conducted in the year 1997. The entire temple is a total blend of modern culture and traditional methods and this was a major step towards dedication towards the Lord.
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