VRINDAVAN TO BE RECOGNISED WORLD HERITAGE SITE

INDIA: SACRED FOREST IN DANGER, CIVIL ALLIANCE CLAIM VRINDAVAN BE LISTED AS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

DELHI, India - Vrindavan or Vraj in Mathura district is a town which lies in the Braj region on the site of an ancient forest which is considered a place of pilgrimage. The town is about 15 km away from Mathura, near the Agra-Delhi highway. Vrindavan hosts hundreds of temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna. For the devotees Vrindavan is one of the most wonderful place in the world because of its spiritual nature as the birthplace of Lord Sri Krishna. In the last 250 years, the extensive forests of Vrindavan have been subjected to urbanization, first by local Rajas and in recent decades by apartment developers. The local wildlife, including peacocks, cows, monkeys and a variety of bird species has been eliminated or are close to it. During the last decades, this town has become famous worldwide because a large number of pilgrims and tourists visit it year after year. The expansion of Vrindavan has caused total denudation of the forests and soil, leading to near extinction of the indigenous flora and fauna. Wildlife has been severely affected by light and noise pollution. There are many foreigners residing there long-term, and many Indians purchasing holiday residences and retirement homes, plus there are weekend tourists going there to visit the five thousand temples.

So many visitors has increased air pollution and there is insufficient solid waste disposal, drinking water, among others. Pilgrims also create a demand for supporting infrastructure, such as facilities for accommodation, which causes urban expansion often at the expense of natural beauty. Local authorities are incapable of handling the additional burden of the floating population due to lack of resources. In such a situation a group of people involved in the sustainable development of Vrindavan as a sacred site, has formed a civil volunteer alliance called "The Braj-Vrindavan Heritage Alliance" to further the interests and needs of the residents and visitors of this holy place. In order to preserve the spiritual and cultural magnificence of this area in risk, the BVHAlliance wants to get Braj Mandal or at least Vrindavan listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so by the means of a petition on line - http://www.bvhalliance.org - they are requesting the authorities, the Prime Minister and the president of India to do everything possible so that this holy place will be preserved, protected and developed, because due to the heritage it represents to India and the whole world it deserves to be recognised as a world heritage site.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Prabhupada says, “Therefore I'm recommending a general program of clean-up, preservation, and restoration. True, the beautiful temples of the Goswamis - Madana Mohana, Govindaji, especially - are crumbling due to neglect. So, we must first protect them. Then restore them to first-class condition, install deities, and conduct daily āratis.” … “This Vrindavan that just happens to appear in India is as worshipable as Krishna. So we cannot offend his dhāma, his home. If we live in Vrindavan, we are living with Krishna, because Vrindavan is non-different from Krishna. There's no difference between the original Vrindavan and this Vrindavan. Vrindavan is so powerful.”

Howard Wheeler (Sripad Hayagriva Swami) :
“Vrindavan Days” - ‘Memories of an Indian Holy Town’
Palace Publishing. New Vrindavan, West Virginia. 1990