Vrindavan, 2015.12.20 (DJ): The winter months see an influx of foreign tourists, especially devotees of Krishna. It is now a fact that people from across the seven seas and every continent — except perhaps Antarctica — make their pilgrimage to the holy town.
A quick survey of the many people thronging the ISKCON temple in Raman Reti finds people from the USA, Canada, Colombia, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Poland and the Ukraine.
The Rupa Sanatan temple of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti in Seva Kunj is another important spot where foreign Vaishnavas gather. Many of these devotees participate in mangal arati at Radha Shyamsundar or the Radha Damodar temples.
Other important spots where foreign devotees congregate are Vrinda Kunj in Gopishwar Mahadev, and the Munger Raj Mandir on Mathura Road. In particular, Vrinda Kunj has a large number of followers from South America.
We ran into Linea and Selyuni at Keshi Ghat. They are from Colombia in South America on a one month tourist visa. They have come as a part of a group of devotees who want to see the holy places associated with Krishna’s pastimes.
Senior ISKCON leader in Vrindavan, Deena Bandhu Das, said that followers of Srila Prabhupada now live in 120 different countries around the world. People in colder climates prefer to come here in the winter because it is warmer than in their home countries and the summer season tends to be too hot.
In fact the main times for foreign devotees coming to Braj are between Sharat Purnima when there is a big influx for Karttik, and Holi, which is not only a big festive occasion in Braj, but also marks the birthday of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is venerated by the Gaudiya Vaishnavas as the incarnation of Krishna Himself.
Importance to the economy
The foreign devotees have been a major boost to the local economy ever since they started to come. Over the years there has been a proliferation of successful businesses in Loi Bazaar, Prataap Bazaar and Athkhamba, which sell traditional Indian clothing, articles for worship including finely decorated deity clothes, and musical instruments.
Speaking to these devotees, we began to get an idea of how they see Vrindavan. Said Roger Teluski of the USA, who came with a group of friends to visit the Dham, “We are finding it a bit overwhelming. We came on Parikrama, but there are so many cars on the road that we find it hard to meditate while walking because of the noise and disturbance from the traffic. We would really like to see a few more zones of peace and greenery. But we love Krishna, so we come.”
A disciple of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj at Gopinath Bhavan said, “Our guru also stressed the difference between pilgrimage and tourism. Tourists come to gawk and see something interesting and then leave without really benefiting from the spiritual power of the Dham. Pilgrims come in order to refresh the spirit with the dust of Vrindavan, the chanting of the Holy Names and the company of other devotees. The Dham is one place where it is easy to perform all the angas of bhakti, so those who come here with that spiritual intent always leave rejuvenated and inspired in their aspirations for Krishna prema.”
Extended Christmas Holidays means more internal tourism also
Every year, at the end of the year, there is an influx of visitors, especially from the NCR (National Capital Region). Lakhs of the faithful throng to Vrindavan to get the blessings of Bihariji. This year Christmas falls on a Friday as does the first day of the new year. So schools have declared the intervening days also as a holiday, meaning that children will be off school for nine days. This means many families from all over India will be coming to the Dham as a place to celebrate their free time in a sacred space.
Local hotels are being booked solid, especially for the New Year. Hotel managers expressed some concern about the non-implementation of a traffic plan in the town, making it difficult for visitors to enjoy their trip to Vrindavan free of stress.
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