A Day in the Life of the Ganga - at Sri Nabadwip Dham

Sunrise at the Ganga at Sri Nabadwip Dham
Ladies come to take bath and take water home

saying prayers before leaving

leaving

the scene in a video clip

http://video.gaudiyadiscussions.com/MOV00859.MPG

toward Godrumdwip

toward Mayapur

The view from my little Sangha at the Ganga.

In the rainy season this whole area is flooded up to the municipal wall which passes at the side of the Mandir plot. Sometimes in August the flood surpasses the wall. On the other side you see a hint of Nabadwip Ghat at the confluence of Ganga and Jelangi.

the view a little toward the left

another nice picture with more light

a group of brahmins, probably shaktas, coming to take bath as the culmination of a festival

entering

dipping

a new arrival of a boat

On the other side you see Gadadhar Pran das ji's Sri Gadai Gauranga Kunj and bhajan place, that innovative white structure.

This is a more close-up view

See this amazing structure; it allows the cool breeze to enter from all sides in the hot season, and makes the place shine full of light.

a boat crossing the Ganga.

When I came first 20 years ago, there were only rowing boats that took about half an hour to cross the Ganga to Mayapur. Then in the late 80ies, they introduced those heavy diesel boats, with terrible noise and fumes. Now it is fast and efficient, but, alas, that human touch, the natural feel, is gone.

Thanks again for enriching this site with these pictures, Nabadipji. I haven't been to Nabadwip in 20 years, so it was a delight to see them. I could almost feel the Ganges currents flowing over me.

Gadadhar Pran is really an innovative person. He truly amazes me. This building is, as you say, a really original piece of work, as are his deities and so much else of what he does.

I know Jagatji, there is much about him which is really special. Also, I am happy for the feelings of remembrance these photos evoke in you. That's what I put them here for: For friends who have never experienced it, to give them a first acquaintance for an aspiration to go there to the beautiful banks of the Ganga (and other places), and experience her for themselves, and for others who have experienced already, that rememberance and joy that comes naturally with seeing it.

cycles are taken along

The view ahead toward the Jalengi. With camera in hand I am always on the look-out for a gangetic dolphin to jump. Difficult to catch on photo since they do not jump very high.

cycles irreverentially stacked together

This is the river-view toward my sangha-place, Sri Gour Vinod Angan, and the bathing place in front of it.

This is the Ganga-view of Gour Vinod Angan

a full boat

a fisher-boat

drying clothes

residents and visitors; milk is transported in those round containers, stuck to a bicycle.

The view toward Gauranga-Setu, the bridge over the Ganga. The Ganga flows that way.

shortly before arriving at Mayapur side; the sight of bhaktas

here the panoramic view from Gadadhar Pranji's place in a sequence

next

and next

and over

and next

and this one

this is the end of the panorama-sequence

This is the view from Sri Gadai Gauranga Kunj, the garden view then.

with the garden gate

returning with a Muslim fisherman in the evening, on a simple boat

The Ganges has clearly moved eastward a great deal in the last 20 years. These were taken in what month. Looks like around July.

Exactly, end of June. Actually, it does eat away land there increasingly. Once I had the honor of buying some bigas of land there that are mostly under water, then and now.

Is that why you changed sides?

It would be a good reason. But actually I was staying with Gadadhar Pranji once when I heard the day-and-night kirtan of Gaur-tattwa-nam going on at Gour Vinod Angan at the other side, and I just loved it and went for it. I visited only the following year though. But, to your point; yes it makes more sense to buy land on the Nabadwip side.

Here is a short video clip on the Ganga view from Gadadhar Pranji's Gadai Gauranga Kunj, what he oversees there every evening in the cool breeze coming down the Ganga, in direction Nabadwip town. A cool place for japa indeed!

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