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HOW TO GET TO SRI NABADWIP DHAM TEMPLE

Whether you stop in our Sevak Bhavan in Kolkata or not, there are two ways to get to Nabadwip: a rented car or a train. If you are not familiar with Indian ways, take a car, it ensures a safe and worry-free trip. Trains are cheaper but require more alertness, caution, and experience. Do not travel in the evening (after 5-6 p.m.)—the earlier in the afternoon you leave, the safer. (Neither Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, nor Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj approve of devotees, especially ladies, travelling after dark. Also you are not advised to carry bananas with you on the journey—do not ask why.)

GOING BY CAR:

• Ask Ramanuja Prabhu (Kolkata Sevak Bhavan manager) to book you one. The car comes from Nabadwip in 3-4 hours after placing the booking, delays are possible. If you come during the festival time, devotees often share the cars to reduce the cost of the trip. The full charge is about Rs 1500-1800. Before leaving, ask what the exact charge is.
• On the way to Nabadwip the driver may take the toll road and will ask you to pay the fare, this is normal. Have some change on you (Rs 20-30), and do not forget to take the change from the driver after he pays the toll.
• It takes about 3 hours to get from Kolkata to Nabadwip provided there is no heavy traffic in Kolkata. All drivers know the way, you do not have to worry about anything.
• When you arrive, pay the driver the price you were told when booking. Do not pay anything more than that. It is common among the drivers to ask for more (with a sweet smile too!), but do not pay attention to that, even if the driver insists.

GOING BY TRAIN:

• Going by train is more adventurous and requires more responsibility and initiative from you.
• Check the train schedule at erail.in to get an idea what train you will be taking (do not travel in the evening or late afternoon!). There are two railway stations that you can consider leaving from and that are used most of the time, Howrah and Sealdah (the third station, called Kolkata, is very busy and the trains stop there briefly without an advance announcement of the platform, so it is easy to miss the train unless you are experienced in taking trains in India).
• Sometimes the trains get cancelled for several hours. Consider it when planning your trip. Do not travel at night.
• You can ask devotees to book you a taxi to get to the train station, or if you are travelling light and know how to get around in Kolkata, you can take the underground train to the station.
• There are different classes of tickets available (A/C, non A/C, economy class, first class, etc.), choose according to your preference and budget. There are trains with ladies' compartments—find out which carriage it is if it is relevant to you. The price ranges from as cheap as 25 Indian rupees up to 1,000 Indian rupees depending on the class.
• Once at the train station, purchase a ticket to Nabadwip Dham station. Next, find out which platform the train leaves from. As a rule, at Howrah and Sealdah, the platform number is announced 10 minutes before departure, in English, Bengali, and Hindi; they are also displayed on the digital screens—to find which platform your train leaves from you need to know your train number (the train number is not printed on the ticket, so you have to find it out either online or at the ticket office).
• On the train, be very careful with your luggage, documents, money, wear clothes that cover your body (especially concerns ladies), and try not to stand out. It is generally safe to travel by train, but forewarned is forearmed. Be extra careful and alert not to miss Nabadwip Dham station (follow a map or ask some friendly fellow passenger). The names of the stations at the platforms are written in Bengali...
• When you get off the train, congratulations you have almost made it. Now you need to take a rikshaw, an auto-rikshaw, a tak-tak or a 'flat one' to the Temple. Our Math is known to everyone, so just tell a driver "Jol mandir" and they will take you there. Before you take the transport, bargain the fare. The charge is about Rs 50-60, try to pay not more than that (if you are not good at bargaining, you will be asked to pay the Western price, up to three times more). Sometimes you will need to ask a few drivers to get a bargain. This is a normal practice. If you have bulky luggage (like a big suitcase), the price will be slightly higher. The trip is not long, 5-10 minutes depending on what you take. Pay upon arrival.

MAPS

The overall route from Kolkata to Nabadwip.

GOING HOME:

• Introduction
• Visa, documents
• Packing
• Travelling to:
  ◊ Kolkata
  ◊ Nabadwip