Now that most of the foundation piles are being finished, the grounds at the TOVP site have changed dramatically. Cement is starting to get poured! Little by little bare ground is getting covered and the form of a temple creeps upwards. It seemed like in the little time the community was focusing on Janmashtami and Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa Puja, construction catapulted like daisies springing from the snow.

Please take look at the following photos. It is truly exciting to be able to witness Srila Prabhupada's Temple of The Vedic Planetarium come to life. All Glories!

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Google-ing has become a major part in a person's search for information. The web gives endless facts, opinions and photographs at the click of a button. Yet what the web doesn't give you is a feeling. Your eyes can see what is on the screen and your mind may comprehend it, but there is no pull to your heart. It's all so impersonal.

When I was first researching Mayapur I googled like it was going out of style. Wikipedia, google earth, you name it, I went to it. Mayapur was a mystery to me. I was constantly watching the Srila Prabhupada memory videos of his travels around the world trying to get a glimpse of my future home. All I found was random scenes of fields and photos of deities and temples. Nothing personal about the Dham really caught my eye. I had seen it all before, and I wanted more.

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Here are some questions that we thought should be addressed online for those of you who want more information regarding the new temple...

Because Srila Prabhupada desired it to be in that particular place. When he first came to Mayapur, it was only fields of jute and rice paddies. Then they built the Bhajan Kutir and the Lotus building. At that point the corner stone was laid by Srila Prabhupada at the very place where the ToVP is being built.

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I have wanted to write a blog about encouraging devotees to come to visit Mayapur for a long time now. It's a topic that is very dear to my heart because I never thought it would be possible even for me to one day get here; a lonely 25 year old barely holding on to her spiritual life. India just seemed impossible! I knew no one, and felt that I somehow wouldn't belong. Just the opposite happened. I threw my anxieties and inhibitions to the wind and started my new life serving Krsna in the Holy Dham... and I have never looked back. Now I want to encourage all to come to this most merciful of places! This article, written by Braja Sevaki dd., came to my attention just as I started to meditate about writing. It was written in 2003 for the BTG magazine but still applies today. Read it and get inspired. Life continues to pass us by too quickly; so please, take the opportunity to visit Mayapur Dham!

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The essence of the acoustics and the sound system design is computer simulation and 3D modeling technique.

Predicting the performance of the acoustical material and audio equipment is done by sophisticated CAD software this is the most modern techniques available in the world for Acoustics and Audio Industry. This allows the prediction of proper speech and sound levels much before the construction of the building starts at the site.

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All glories to Srila Prabhupada! A few updates:

As we had reported in an earlier article, the monsoon season has been upon us for a good three months now. Usually this means havoc on construction work and progress but surprisingly the rains have not been too torrential! The sky has been clear and the ground is relatively dry. This gives more time to work rather than stopping for the season; a very big plus. The team members are in awe at how quickly the building of the temple is commencing. This can only be

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When I returned to India after an eleven-month break, I was extremely gratified to have, once again, the opportunity to work for the Temple Of The Vedic Planetarium. Having been acquainted with its progress as a result of my father's involvement; it is a project closer to my heart than any other that I know of in ISKCON.

As with most youth of my generation, my abilities with technology are varied enough for me to promote my services in most situations, but I cannot express my gratitude towards the rest of the team in terms of their having educated me in the fields I was lacking.

Srila Prabupada Said:

"In pure devotional service one comes to the realization that God is great and that the individual soul is subordinate to Him. His duty is to render service to the Lord — and if he does not, then he will render service to maya.."

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This the third installment of my trip – the final leg of my journey after Turkey and Macedonia was Greece.

The reason I kept Greece until last was because I thought Greece had the purest and a higher quality of white marble. But after having seen the Turkish and Macedonian Marble, I'd have to admit I was wrong, as both countries have a superb quality of marble that is quite capable of rivaling Greece.

Greece has made a name for itself for producing fine White marble just like Italy has made a name for itself with Carrara Marble. I feel the three different countries actually trade with each other, purchasing and selling marble between then and selling, just as Carrara buys a lot of white marble from the Greece, Turkey and Macedonia.

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