750811 - Letter to Bon Maharaja written from Indre, France

Letters by Date, 1975

Dublaisse, Lucay-le-Male
36600 Indre, France

August 11, 1975
Swami B.H. Bon Maharaj
Rector, Institute of Oriental Philosophy
Bhajan Kutir, Madan Mohan Ghera
P.O. Vrindaban, Dist. Mathura
U.P. INDIA

My Dear Sripad Bon Maharaj:
Please accept my humble dandabats at your lotus feet. At the present moment I am staying in our French castle in the village of Lucay-le-Male. We have purchased recently 250 acres of land with a big palace. Some photos are enclosed herewith. I am now organizing in Europe and America many farm lands so that my devotees can live there peacefully, grow their own foodstuffs, produce cloth, and save time for chanting Hare Krishna. This scheme has been successful in New Vrindaban, West Virginia; New Orleans; and Pennsylvania. So the same attempt is being made here in France. This place is a little interior from Paris about 180 miles, and there are about 100 devotees already. They are growing vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and keeping cows with great enthusiasm. They are chanting Hare Krishna also village to village in buses, so the propaganda work is going on nicely.
I have received recently one letter from Dhananjaya in which amongst other things he gives me the following information: "Now Bon Maharaja is prepared to make a proposition regarding allowing the construction of the Gurukula on two acres in his college property. He has assured us that the land will be registered in the Society's name."
I have received your letter dated July 15, 1975, and I have replied from Los Angeles. I am very much anxious to start this Gurukula scheme immediately, and as you have kindly agreed to give us the vacant land for our Gurukula, I am starting for India immediately by cancelling other programs.
From here I shall go to London for one or two days, and from there I shall take one Quantas plane which goes directly to Bombay in eight hours. Then I shall see Bombay affairs where we are constructing a very big temple and residential quarters. There are six houses of two stories already on a spacious land of 20,000 sq. yards. We have already constructed one floor more on each house to accommodate our devotees, and still we are constructing another two towers for receiving guests, as well as a very big temple in that land.
After inspecting for a few days how things are going on there, I shall go back to Vrindaban via New Delhi, and if you kindly give us the land I shall begin the constructing of the Gurukula building immediately.
I am coming here via Toronto and Montreal, and it was a great pleasure for me to know that you saw our temples there. Next time if you kindly come either to Europe or America please visit all our temples, especially I will request you to visit our temples in Los Angeles, Detroit, London, and Paris (Lucay-le-Male.)
I hope this meets you in good health.

Affectionately yours,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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