ISKCON NVCC Temple, Pune Overview

ISKCON NVCC (New Vedic Cultural Center) is located in the less congested area of Kondhwa near Pune. ISKCON NVCC is a temple devoted to Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha. The temple has lavish green hills in the background and provides its visitors with a great ambience. Once you enter the prayer hall, you will be awe-struck by the stunning idols of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha. The idols are elegantly embellished with beautiful outfits and colourful garlands. The ceilings of the dome and the walls of the temple are artistically adorned with colourful paintings. The temple houses activities like youth training programmes and Bhagvat Gita reading classes, women and family empowerment activities, etc. apart from being the residency of Radha, Krishna and Balaram.

The 'International Society for Krishna Consciousness' abbreviated as ISKCON, is also commonly known as the 'Hare Krishna movement' is a spiritual organisation that was established by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the July of 1966 in New York. ISKCON matches the schoolings of the Vedic scriptures and the Vedas, which includes the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. These holy scriptures teach 'Vaishnavism' or the service to Lord Krishna.

Darshan Timings

Darshan Timings for Sri Sri Radha Vrindavanachandra, Sri Sri Gaur Nitai & Jagannath, Baldev & Subhadra:

4:30 AM - 5:00 AM
7:15 AM - 8:00 AM
8:30 AM - 11:50 AM
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
4:30 PM - 6:15 PM
6:45 PM - 8:00 PM
9:00 PM - 9:10 PM

Darshan Timings for Sri Balaji:

5:00 AM - 5:15 AM
7:45 AM - 8:15 AM
8:45 AM - 12:00 PM
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
4:45 PM - 6:30 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Architecture

The ISKCON NVCC temple is one of the biggest temples in Pune and is spread across 6 acres. It is one of the architectural marvels in the city. This religious and devotional centre is a grand structure made out of pure marble. Each of the pillars of the temple has two Gopis and one elephant carved at the base of the pillars. The altar doors are embossed with gold and the transparent marble flooring glows in dispersed lights which enhances the beauty of the temple. The dome is shaped like a lotus with a carving of Lord Krishna and 3-D paintings that enhance the interiors. These are some of the remarkable features of the temple.

Things to do around ISCKON NVCC

Govinda’s Restaurant:

Govinda's restaurant is a quaint restaurant on the campus that is famous for the multitudes of pleasant lacto-vegetarian foods in a happy religious setting. Visitors can eat here after visiting the temple.

Govinda’s Bakery Fresh:

The Govinda’s Bakery Fresh is a bakery that is also located on the campus. It is a Pure Vegetarian bakery where the food is 'prasad'. The bakery makes a variety of flavoured and designer cakes. It offers regular bread along with types of exclusive bread like Brown bread, Multigrain bread, Herb bread etc. There's also Whole wheat cookies, Bajra cookies, Ragi cookies, Oats cookies, Muffins etc., available at the bakery.

Gifts Shop:

From the land of Vraja, Matchless GIfts Shops has varieties of items where visitors can buy souvenirs for their loved ones. There are various gift items and deity material available such as Deity statues, Deity Alters, Frames, materials for aartis, lockets, holy beads, cow products, greeting cards, children's items, books, religious CDs, clothing, Deity dresses, Deity Jewellery, etc.

How To Reach ISKCON NVCC Temple

From Pune, ISKCON NVCC is about 12 km away and it takes about half an hour to reach the temple by car. One can travel via Kondhwa Road, the Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road or by the Mumbai Highway - via Pandharpur road and Kondhwa road. Taxis are frequently available and private cars are also allowed.

The closest train station to ISKCON NVCC is Sasvad Road, Ghorpuri, and Pune Junction. The closest international airport is the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. There are no such direct buses available to ISKCON NVCC from Pune, however, the quickest route is catching a 43 bus from Katraj towards Wonder City to Katraj Bypass and then catching a 291 bus towards Hadapsar Depot Gadital to Shatrunjay Mandir. From there, it is advisable to walk for four minutes.