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HOME > Braja Home > Vrindavan > Practical Vrindavan Information | |||||||||||||
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Practical Vrindavan Information Orientation
There are many fairly large and important temples in Vrindavana. Govindaji temple is at one end of the main downtown area and the Madana-Mohan Temple is at the other. The Krishna Balarama Mandir (ISKCON temple) is in a peaceful area called Raman Reti, about a 15-minute bicycle rickshaw ride from the main downtown area and Loi Bazaar. Loi Bazaar, the main shopping bazaar to get devotional items, is in the middle of the downtown area. The road in front of the Hare Krishna temple is called Bhaktivedanta Swami Road. It is also referred to by its old name, Chatikara Road. Tours
Temple
Timings Often if you visit a temple that is in the middle of no where and is not often visited, the pujari in a temple will allow you to see the Deities in the temple, whatever time you arrive. In other temples the temple timings are very strict. Many Siva temples are open all day for darshan, only closing at night. Braja
Mandala Parikrama Every year in Kartika (Oct/Nov) ISKCON puts on a Braja Mandala parikrama. It is a one-month walking tour that goes to all 12 forests in Vrindavana. The parikrama visits most of the major places in the Braja area including Mathura, Radha Kunda, Varsana, Nandagram, Gokula, Vrindavana, and Govardhana Hill. VIHE
(Vaishnava Institute for Higher Education) For further information contact the VIHE office at the Krishna Balarama Temple in Room No 31 of the Gurukula building. This office is on the first (second US) floor of the Gurukula building, at the top of the stairway, which is by the Gurukula entrance near the street. Boat
Ride on the Yamuna Phone
There are three different billing rates for long distance
calls in India. Normal (8 am to 7 pm), half rate (7 pm to 10 pm and
6 am to 8 am), and quarter rate (10 pm to 6 am). On Sundays and Holidays
calls are half rate between 6 am and 9 pm and quarter rate between
9 pm and 6 am. International rates are always the same, regardless
of the time of day a call is made. Water
Most of the tap water in Vrindavana is dangerous to drink and tastes horrible. Even if the water tastes all right, unless you are used to drinking it, there is a good chance you will get sick. It is best to drink bottled water, purified water, or boiled water. The main cause of serious diseases in India is from bad water. If you do drink water from the tap or a well, you should only drink water that you see the locals drinking. It is best to ask the locals what water is safe to drink. It is also a good idea to use bottled or purified water to brush your teeth. Photography
Shops If you need passport type photos for registration or other such reasons, you can get these done quickly for Rs 40 for four pictures at the photographer on the road that leads to the Banke Bihari temple from Loi Bazaar. Coming from Loi Bazaar, it is about half way down the road, on the right near the STD phone. If quality is important to you, it is best to either have you film developed in Delhi or when you return to your home country. The places in Delhi do a much better job than other places in India. There is a photo shop next to the Ranganath Temple that has many photos for sale of the temples, Deities and sadhus of Vrindavan. Travel
Agents Monkeys
Most of the time monkeys are sneak thieves and will not try to steal from a formidable opponent. Keep your eyes on them, and never let them get too close to you without looking at them. Give them a look to let them know that you know they are there. Never turn and run from them, as they are extremely fast. If they go for your bananas and challenge you, renounce the bananas. This is a life and death situation for them. They are willing to die for a banana. “In Jaipur Srila Prabhupada once advised his disciples how to deal with the monkey: ‘Neither be their friends nor their enemies. If you make friends with them, they will simply be a nuisance. If you become their enemies, they will become very vindictive. Just maintain a neutral position.” Income
Tax Clearance WARNING! It is highly advised that women do not walk alone in secluded places at night. Even during the day it may not be safe. If you are staying at a place that you have to walk down a secluded back road it is best to do this during the day or to go with someone else. Many women have been handled and bothered. I do not know of any cases in the last 20 years where anyone was seriously injured, but a good amount of women have experienced quite a fright. This goes for Indian women too. At night it is best to take a rickshaw to get around. Laundry Each day at around 6 to 7.30 pm, a first class dhobi-wala
comes to the ISKCON Vrindavana temple called Bhagavan. His son assists
him. They go to the rooms in the Guesthouse and to the apartments
at MVT and the guesthouse there. You can also pick up and drop off
your cloths in the ISKCON Guest House Lobby. They do a great job at
cleaning your cloths, but often knock off your buttons. You should
check your bill carefully. There are other people who wash cloths in Vrindavana and it is usually best to ask at the place that you are staying at where the closest place to go is located. There is a man across the street from the ISKCON temple who will iron cloths for Rs 2 a piece. If you have a family and five rupees a piece for laundry is too much you can often hire someone to wash your whole family’s cloths for a set fee, often 200 or 300 rupees a month for any number of pieces. They usually will not iron your cloths, but you can either work out an extra amount to do this or take the cloths that need to be ironed to someone else. Weather
When
To Come Krishna Janmastami and Srimati Radharani’s appearance
day in August-September are major festival days in Vrindavana. This
is at the end of the rainy season. It is a good time to come to Vrindavana,
but accommodations can be difficult to find and it is best to arrange
it in advance. The weather is very good in March and the first half of April. During the ISKCON Vrindavana festival (usually March or early April) the accommodations around the ISKCON temple can be full. If you are coming at this time and are not part of the festival, it is best to try to arrange some accommodation in advance, but you can always find somewhere to stay. The temperature in May and June is virtually unbearable and unless you really have to come to Vrindavana at this time, I would highly suggest that you come at another time. One advantage of coming at this time is that except during festivals there are very few visitors in Vrindavana. I have heard about people who came to India to come to Vrindavana at this time and left India after three days because of the unbearable heat. It is so hot that it is difficult to sleep at night, especially if the electricity goes off and you cannot use your fan, air-cooler, or air-conditioning. During the rainy season, from July to the beginning of September, the weather is not so unpleasant. The rain brings the temperatures down and some days can be quite pleasant. On the other hand, while it is rainy it can be difficult to get around because of the mud on the street (because the roads are often dirt). When the rainy season ends in the middle of September the weather can get really hot again, and it can be unpleasant on some days. Except on Janmastami and Radhastami not so many people visit at this time. WARNING! I have heard of many people being pick-pocketed in Loi Bazaar. A group of women thieves working together are supposed to be active there. They may even act like they are customers and rob you while you are sitting in a shop. If you know of information that is not listed here, or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at: |
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