World heritage centre to be set up at Mayapur

A World Heritage Centre housing 'spiritual camps' of 45 countries would be set up at Mayapur, the global headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), in Nadia district.

The camp of each country would reflect its culture, dress, lifestyle, food and ambiance, an ISKCON spokesman said from Mayapur Sunday.

The process for setting up the centre got momentum after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inquired about the project at a recent administrative meeting in Nadia district.

Expressing hope that the centre would help in attracting more tourists to the state, she had offered all help to the ISKCON from the state government.

The estimated project cost of the proposed centre has been fixed at Rs 3000 crore, the spokesman said.

"The Temple of Vedic Planetarium will come up at the first part of the World heritage centre. It will have one of the biggest domes in the world. The TOVP is expected to be inaugurated in 2022," Head of ISKCON Mayapur Land Department, Alay Govind Das said.

"We will be setting up other facilities in the centre including four amusement theme-based parks. Latest technology would be used to bring alive the tales of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan," Das said.

The proposed project would also showcase traditional Bengali handloom and craft as suggested by the chief minister, the spokesman said.