Nerve Endings Firing Away

“The Sri Mayapur Vedic Temple and Planetarium will be built in Mayapur in the province of West Bengal, India, and is expected to reach the height equivalent of 35 stories and making it only a smidgeon shorter than the Great Pyramid of Giza” [source].

What makes this temple project interesting is that it will be built along with a planetarium. Mayapur is already known for being the headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON). The planetarium is supposed to be more than just a visual delight center but in fact purports to be a research base that would be staffed with ‘top level space researchers’.

I am not sure of this claim and if they would genuinely encourage scientific research. But as a structure, it is truly spectacular and eye-catching. As some folks on Digg and Reddit remarked, it looks something out of Star Wars. But for us who have seen truly remarkable temples in Thanjavur and Mahabalipuram, this traditional form of temple architecture is nothing new if not completely familiar. They are planning to complete the project by 2010 and if it is anything like the picture above, it should be a major tourist attraction.