VANAMCOVE 
Mayapur
ISKCON's world headquarters
Why this weekend?
The day-by-day plan
- Morning train from Howrah
- Chandrodaya darshan
- Ganga ghat walk
- Memorial gardens
- Navadvip side
- Evening arati on the banks
Geography & terrain
Mayapur sits on the east bank of the Ganga in Nadia district, West Bengal, 130 km north of Kolkata and just opposite the historic town of Navadvip — a flat delta settlement raised around the ISKCON world headquarters, reached by a long arched bridge over the great river's winter sand flats.
History & culture
The site is the holiest of the Gaudiya Vaishnava world — it was here, around 1486, that the Saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born in the Navadvip-Mayapur area, and the modern town grew after ISKCON (founded 1966 by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a Mayapur native) established its global centre here in the 1970s; today the Chandrodaya Mandir project — a planned 'Temple of the Vedic Planetarium' — marks the site as the movement's spiritual capital.
Where to stay
Budget
₹800–2,000/nightMid-range
₹2,000–4,000/nightComfort
₹4,000+/nightThings to do
Chandrodaya Mandir
Deities' darshan
Ganga banks
Bhaktivedanta memorial
Navadvip town
Eat & drink
- Kosha mangsho
- Macher jhol (fish curry)
- Sorshe ilish
- Sandesh
- Rasgulla
Getting there
- Fly
- Kolkata (CCU) / Bagdogra (IXB)
- Train
- Howrah & Sealdah junctions
- Road from Kolkata
- varies by district — 50–600 km
- Getting around
- Metro (Kolkata), autos, buses
Budget snapshot
- Total
- ₹4,000–9,500 (2 days)
- Per day · Stay
- ₹800–4,000/night
- Per day · Food
- ₹600–1,000
- Per day · Transport
- ₹500–900
- Per day · Activities
- ₹400–800
Month by month
Practical info
- Language: Bengali (English understood in tourist spots)
- Best window: Oct–Mar
- Connectivity: good 4G in towns
- UPI/cards widely accepted; keep small cash for hill and market stops
Practical tips
- Dress modestly and remove footwear at the temple portals
- The river flats change with the season — the bridge is the reliable crossing
- Combine with Navadvip for the full Chaitanya circuit
Frequently asked questions
It is the global headquarters of ISKCON and stands on the sacred ground celebrating Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's birth — the movement's holiest city.
A full day covers the darshan, the ghats and the Navadvip crossing.
Direct trains from Howrah to the Mayapur halt or bus via Krishnanagar; the site is walkable and cycle-abundant.
ISKCON's world headquarters
Take the break. We'll take the planning.
Tell us your dates, budget and travel style — we'll build your Mayapur plan with day-by-day routing, stays, food and bookings.