Govardhan Ashram

Many changes since my last visit

A lot has changed since the last time I was here at the Srila Sridhar Swami Sevashram, in Dasbisa, Govardhan, three months ago, in April; the construction workers led by Suresh Prabhu, have been busy.

The granite slabs on the face and in front of the Sri Anu Giriraj Mandir have all been installed and polished, and so have the white marble steps at the entrance. The pillars and the lotus-shaped arch above the entrance look particularly beautiful.

A low wall, with inverted arches (there must be a name for it, but I can't for the life of me think of it right now) has been added all around the mandir, presumably to demarcate the parikrama area.

The nine mridanga-shaped domes have all been built and the workers are finishing the ornamental plasterwork, embossing the shapes of the tilak, lotus, chakra and conch shell onto the plaster.

A dozen light poles have been installed along the entrance driveway, and the lights work. The excavation of the kunda to the left of the mandir has been completed and the kunda has been plastered and tested with water. The Seva Kunj building (Srila Gurudeva's quarters) has been painted and the marble stairs have all been installed and polished.

All in all, a lot of progress, but then I do not have Srila Gurudeva's gimlet eye...