New 7 wonders of the world

The new wonders of the world announced on 07.07.07 has got a new meaning to me because this time I took part in the selection process by voting through Internet. In the life time it may not happen again. I feel proud to see Taj Mahal in the new list. The Taj Mahal of India, the most photographed monument is accompanied by The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, Statue of Christ Redeemer in Brazil, Machu Picchu in Peru, Pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico and the Roman Colosseum in the list announced at a gala ceremony in the Portuguese capital Lisbon to coincide with the date 07.07.07.

TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA : The white marble-domed mausoleum in Agra was built by Mughol Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, The complex – an outstanding combination of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture styles – houses the graves of the emperor and his wife.

COLOSSEUM, ROME, ITALY :The giant amphitheater in Rome was inaugurated in A.D. 80 by the Emperor Titus in a ceremony of games lasting 100 days. The 50,000 seat Colosseum, which has influenced the design of modern sports stadiums, was an arena where thousands of gladiators dueled to the death and Christians were fed to the lions.

GREAT WALL OF CHINA :The 6,700 km barricade is the longest man-made structure in the world. The fortification, which largely dates from the 7th through the 4th century B.C., was built to protect the various dynasties from invaders.

PETRA, JORDAN :The ancient city of Petra in southwestern Jordan, was the capital of the Arab kingdom of the Nabateans, a center of their caravan trade, and also continued to flourish under Roman rule after the Nabateans were defeated in AD 106. the city is famous for cits water tunnels and numerous stone structures carved in rock.

STATUE OF CHRIST REDEEMER, BRAZIL :The 38 metre tall statue of Christ the Redeemer with outstretched arms overlooks Rio de Janeiro on Brazil’s Atlantic coast from atop from atop Mount Corcovado. The statue, built by Polish-French sculptor Paul Landowski, weighing more than 1,000 tons was built in pieces in france starting in 1926 and shipped to Brazil. The pieces were carried by cogwheel railway up the mountain for assembly. The statue was inaugurated in 1931.

MACHU PICCHU, PERU :Built by the Incan Empire in the 15th century, the giant walls, palaces, temples and dwellings of the Machu Picchu sanctuary are perched in the clouds at 2,430 metres above sea level on an Andean mountaintop overlooking a lush valley 500 km southeast of Lima. It remains a mystery how the huge stones were moved into place.

PYRAMID AT CHICHEN ITZA, MEXICO :This step-pyramid surmounted by a temple survives from a sacred site that was part of one of the greatest Mayan centres of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Built according to the solar calendar, it is placed so that shadows cast at the fall and spring equinoxes are said to look like a snake crawling down the steps, similar to the carved serpent at the top.

Courtesy : Text : Times of India, Photo : Wikipedia

Oneday at ISKCON

Mayapur, a small unknown village has come up to the world map as the Headquarters of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) which is situated here. Mayapur is located in West Bengal state, in the district of Nadia, 130 km from Calcutta city (now Kolkata). It is located on the bank of the Ganges and on the other bank, a small town Nabadwip is located. Nabadwip means nine islands. There are two large holy rivers, the Ganges and Jalangi flowing between these islands.

Mayapur is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, regarded as a special incarnation of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Godhead and therefore it is considered as a holy place by Hindus and specially by the followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It is visited by a large number of pilgrims from around the World, every year.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) also known as ‘The Hare Krishna’ movement, was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktibedanta Swami Prabhupada. Since the 1970s, Mayapur is also the site of the world headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) as well as a number of other Vaishnava organisations such as the Gaudiya Math. At Mayapur ISKCON has a sprawling campus studded with natural beauty.

Chandrodaya Temple, Mayapur

Today ISKCON Mayapur serves as an international center of pilgrimage and spiritual tourism. The Deities of Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Sri Chaitanya and the Pancha-tattva preside over a temple for thousands to enjoy daily congregational chanting.

In Mayapur campus, it is amazing to see the young and middle aged ladies and gents from all over the world, specially western countries. It is unbelievable to see that leaving their wealthy western luxurious lifestyle, they come here in quest of peace, happiness and meaningful life. As seen in the campus, they are totally devoted to simple and spiritual lifestyle.

Today we are not serious enough to follow our own religion or religious rituals. But it is amazing to see that they are practicing Indian culture, rituals seriously to achieve the goals in life. For achieving something in life one should be serious and we should learn this from the devotees of ISKCON.

For detail informations please visit their site www.mayapur.com

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