Dham Seva Project

dham seva

Dham Seva Mission

To award a voice to the Dham and her subjects so as to promote and facilitate the cultivation of relationships between pilgrims, the holy Dham, and her residents.

To facilitate the gathering of pilgrims for the purpose of hearing and discussing theology and pastimes to better understand the significance and blessings of the holy places.

Following the order of Lord Caitanya, the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan under-went great sacrifices to establish temples and holy tirthas commemorating the places where Lord Krishna performed His pastimes. Srila Prabhupada brought Lord Caitanyas mission to the West. He desired to have a replica of Vrindavan as a place of pilgrimage in America, which would offer a substantial contribution to his mission.

Imbibing the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, His Holiness Varsana Swami has been carving out landscapes throughout New Vrindaban since 1972. His heart is vested in seeing and revealing the glory and beauty of the Dhama thus he founded Dham Seva, a non-profit entity designed to identify, excavate, glorify and protect the various holy places within the greater New Vrindaban.

Selected excerpts from Srila Prabhupada’s letters
on New Vrindaban

Prabhuapda
Now I am hopeful that our New Vrindavan will be an exact replica of Vrindaban in India.

- Srila Prabhupada letter, 18 February 1970

Convert West Virginia into New Vrindaban. I understand the spot is very beautiful and the hills may be renamed as New Govardhana. And if there are lakes, they can be renamed as Syamakunda and Radhakunda.

- Srila Prabhupada letter, 14 June 1968

Therefore, I may once more request you to try your best to construct New Vrindabn as an exact duplicate of Vrindavana and that will give me the highest pleasure.

- Srila Prabhupada letter, 18 February 1970

Letter to Hayagriva

18 November 1968

New Vrindaban should be taken up very seriously because actually I want to develop a replica of Old Vrindaban. I have got ambition to construct there 7 temples as follows: 1. Radha Madan Mohan, 2. Radha Govinda, 3. Radha Gopinatha, 4. Radha Damodara, 5. Radha Raman, 6. Radha Gokulananda, 7. Radha Syamasundara. The whole modern city of Vrindaban was established originally with these temples, started by different Gosvamis. And later on, many kings and princes started their own temples and thus the present Vrindaban is now full with small and big 5000 temples. We have to make such scheme in our New Vrindaban, gradually expanding to an area of one mile long and one mile broad.

Letter to Hayagriva, Los Angeles

18 November 1968

Vrindaban conception is a transcendental village, without any botheration of the modern industrial atmosphere. My idea of developing New Vrindaban is to create an atmosphere of spiritual life where people in bona fide order of social division, namely, Brahmacaris, Grhasthas, Vanaprastha, Sannyasis, or specifically Brahmacaris and Sannyasis, and Vanaprasthas, will live there independently, completely depending on agricultural produce and milk from the cows. The life should be simplified without being hampered by laboring day and night for economic development, without any spiritual understanding. The New Vrindaban idea is that persons who live there will accept the bare necessities of life to maintain the body and soul together and the major part of time should be engaged in development of Krishna Consciousness. The whole Vedic principle is to develop Krishna Consciousness, without creating much botheration for the program of sense gratification.

Letter to Kirtanananda, Los Angeles

18 February 1970

Now I am hopeful that our New Vrindaban will be an exact replica of Vrindavan in India. I think it was ordained by Krishna that you went there, took your Sannyasa order of life in the presence of Rupa Goswami and Jiva Goswami, and now you have got the opportunity to execute their will… Therefore, I may once more request you to try your best to construct New Vrindaban an exact duplicate of Vrindaban, and that will give me the highest pleasure… Now I am hopeful that our New Vrindaban will be an exact replica of Vrindaban in India…

Letter to Kirtanananda, Vrindaban

27 October 1972

Now we are in Radha-Damodara Temple staying, and the program of speaking morning and evening in the courtyard is going on very nicely. It is the same peaceful atmosphere as your New Vrindaban, and just as in New Vrindaban everyone present is devotee. Actually, everywhere wherever Krishna is being glorified, that is Vrindavan… Regarding your questions, try to finish the temples in New Vrindaban as quickly as possible using whatever materials you have. Later on they can be improved more and more and eventually they will be the first-className opulent temples in the world.

Letter to Hladini, Calcutta

28 January 1973

This modern civilization is always artificial. You are actually learning in New Vrindaban the self-sufficient mode of living, simple living, high thinking, that is our policy, and as long as Krishna remains in the center of all these activities, then you are actually in Vrindavan.

Letter to Kirtanananda, Bhaktivedanta Manor

27 July 1973

Yes! Go on acquiring the surrounding lands and in this way we will establish a local self governing village and show all the world a practical example of spiritual life as Krishna Himself exhibited in Vrindavan. Agriculture and protecting the cow, this is the main business of the residents of Vrindavan, and above all simply loving Krishna. The cows, the trees, the cowherd men and Gopis, their chief engagement was loving Krishna, and in New Vrindaban we want to create this atmosphere and thereby show the whole world how practical and sublime our movement is.