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January 21, 1976 : Mayapur

Hari Sauri: As we walked this morning, Prabhupada discussed plans for the new temple and the proposed exhibitions it's to house. It will be a cultural center as well as temple. His idea is to have displays depicting various levels of material existence. The exhibition is to begin on the lower levels by depicting hellish regions and lower planetary systems. As the visitor ascends the interior of the dome by escalator, various levels of material existence will be revealed, gradually rising to the abodes of the demigods, then Satyaloka, and the Vaikuntha planets. At the very top will be a dazzling display of Krishna's own transcendental planet, Goloka Vrindavana.

In the evening Saurabha Prabhu showed Prabhupada the preliminary plans for the new temple. Saurabha's drawings revealed magnificent plans for an entire city, centered around a huge temple structure. It will be surrounded by satellite temples, a gurukula campus, a commercial area, bathing ghatas, and other facilities. The whole area will be protected from flooding by a latticework of canals. The main feature is to be a gigantic planetarium within the dome of the main temple. Srila Prabhupada was extremely enthusiastic about the plans. He wants the planetarium to demonstrate the Vedic alternative to modern scientific cosmological propaganda, illustrating the structure of the universe as described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Prabhupada always thinks big; and for him no vision is impossible, because it is for Krishna.


Reference: A Transcendental Diary Volume 1 - Hari Sauri Dasa