![\"prabhupada\"](\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/prabhupada.jpg\")
<\/a>Devotees in Kolkata, India headed by GBC Radhanath Swami, have purchased Srila Prabhupada\u2019s birthplace and plan to develop it as a beautiful memorial to the ISKCON founder Acharya.<\/p>\nFifteen years ago, devotees acquired a house and land in the Tollygunge suburb of Kolkata that had belonged to Prabhupada\u2019s maternal grandfather. But the exact site where Prabhupada was born on September 1st, 1896 remained elusive until now.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne hundred yards away from his maternal grandfather\u2019s house is a small cottage under a jackfruit tree,\u201d explains Radha Jivan Das, a Florida-based businessman and philanthropist. \u201cIn India in those days, when a woman gave birth, she would go back to her father\u2019s house. So Prabhupada\u2019s mother, Srimati Rajani De, went to stay with her joint family in Tollygunge\u2014her parents and brothers all lived there. She gave birth to Srila Prabhupada in this small cottage, which was exclusively for ladies to give birth\u2014a kind of birthing center, so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recently the cottage became available for sale. Kolkata devotees, including vice president Radha Raman Das, negotiated with the elderly lady who had owned it, and purchased it for just $25,000. The funds were raised by Radhanath Swami and Radha Jivan Das, who each paid half of the cost.<\/p>\n
Besides being Srila Prabhupada\u2019s birthplace, there are several interesting facts about the property.<\/p>\n
The jackfruit tree which stands over the cottage and still bears fruit, was present when Srila Prabhupada was born 117 years ago. Radha Jivan estimates it\u2019s at least 130 or 140 years old.<\/p>\n
The property is also special because Srila Prabhupada continued to visit it throughout his childhood. Or rather, he would visit the house of his mother\u2019s family 100 yards from it.<\/p>\n
Whenever Srimati Rajane De would go to visit her family, Prabhupada would go with her, taking the thirty-kilometer commute from his father Gour Mohan De\u2019s house on Mahatma Gandhi Road.<\/p>\n
During his visits to Tollygunge, Srila Prabhupada\u2014then little Abhay Charan De\u2014would go with his maternal uncles to visit a Madan Mohan temple just across the street from their house.<\/p>\n
One of the most interesting and little-known facts, however, is that it was actually Srila Prabhupada\u2019s express wish that his birthplace be purchased by ISKCON.<\/p>\n
\u201cSrila Prabhupada\u2019s grand nephew and disciple, Sankarshan Das, is currently managing a preaching center in Godrumadvipa, near Mayapur,\u201d says Radha Jivan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I told him what we were purchasing Prabhupada\u2019s birthplace, he started to cry.\u201d He said, \u2018On May 5th, 1977, five months before he passed away, Srila Prabhupada personally handwrote me a Bengali letter. He said \u2018Sankarshana Prabhu, this place where I was born under the tree must be acquired.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrabhupada knew who he was,\u201d Radha Jivan says. \u201cHe knew he was the acharya of the age. He knew his birthplace could not just go to waste.\u201d<\/p>\n
So it is no surprise that ISKCON devotees are very excited, 36 years later, to finally own this piece of history.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral brahmachari disciples of Radhanath Swami are already living there,\u201d says Radha Jivan. \u201cThey have installed a murti form of Srila Prabhupada in the cottage where he was born. They are doing kirtan, and distributing kichari prasadam to the hungry in the area. We are currently constructing some bathroom facilities and cleaning the cottage up. We invite any devotees visiting Kolkata to come and see Srila Prabhupada\u2019s birthplace.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the next year, devotees hope to purchase two acres of land surrounding the cottage. They will then begin building a beautiful monument for Srila Prabhupada that will attract visitors from all over to see the birthplace of the saint who gave the world Krishna consciousness. The monument will include a museum depicting Prabhupada\u2019s early childhood pastimes.<\/p>\n
In the future, the memorial could expand into a full-fledged ISKCON center.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may include a nice temple and a school in Srila Prabhupada\u2019s name, where spiritual and material education can be given to the local people,\u201d Radha Jivan says.<\/p>\n
ISKCON guru Radha Govinda Swami, upon hearing the news, summed up the importance of this acquisition by ISKCON.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Bhumi, this land, that gave birth to the greatest personality\u2014who gave life to the whole world by giving knowledge of Krishna consciousness\u2014must be worshipped,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a great service that has been performed by the devotees and disciples of Srila Prabhupada. They have acquired such sacred earth, which will be worshipped by millions and millions of followers in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
April 29, 2013 (VNN)\u00a0By Madhava Smullen via ISKCON News Devotees in Kolkata, India headed by GBC Radhanath Swami, have purchased Srila Prabhupada\u2019s birthplace and plan to develop it as a … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":3,"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6,15],"tags":[4,12,329,569,328],"class_list":["post-826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","category-featured","tag-india","tag-iskcon","tag-kolkata","tag-notice","tag-srila-prabhupadas-birthplace","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nKolkata Devotees Purchase Srila Prabhupada\u2019s Birthplace - VNN - Vaishnava News Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/kolkata-devotees-purchase-srila-prabhupadas-birthplace\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"VNN Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/kolkata-devotees-purchase-srila-prabhupadas-birthplace\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/kolkata-devotees-purchase-srila-prabhupadas-birthplace\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"VNN Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/#\/schema\/person\/697219dd9c21dd216a0ea9f7de1cc9c9\"},\"headline\":\"Kolkata Devotees Purchase Srila Prabhupada\u2019s Birthplace\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-04-29T15:38:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-04T23:41:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/kolkata-devotees-purchase-srila-prabhupadas-birthplace\/\"},\"wordCount\":757,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/kolkata-devotees-purchase-srila-prabhupadas-birthplace\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/prabhupada.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"India\",\"ISKCON\",\"Kolkata\",\"notice\",\"Srila Prabhupada\u2019s Birthplace\"],\"articleSection\":[\"ASIA\",\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/kolkata-devotees-purchase-srila-prabhupadas-birthplace\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/kolkata-devotees-purchase-srila-prabhupadas-birthplace\/\",\"name\":\"Kolkata Devotees Purchase Srila Prabhupada\u2019s Birthplace - 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