Mayapur (Nabadwip)
Chaitanya's river country: Nabadwip's old lanes and Mayapur's temples
Best time to visit Mayapur (Nabadwip)
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, off-season
- Aug, off-season
- Sep, off-season
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to June
Mayapur (Nabadwip) season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is cool and dry for walking Nabadwip's old lanes, crossing to Mayapur by ferry and sitting out the evening kirtan on the Jalangi bank
Summer March to May Shoulder
Gaura Purnima in March fills every room in both towns, then April to June bake the Nadia plain past 41 C with river humidity and little shade
Monsoon June to September Mixed, read the detail
Jul-Sep the Bhagirathi runs high and brown, ferries are cancelled on rough days and the ghat steps go under; temples stay open but everything is wet
Autumn October to November Prime time
October is warm and clear after the rains, and November brings the Nabadwip Rash Yatra, a week of night processions through the old town
What Mayapur (Nabadwip) is actually like
Pilgrim guest houses on both banks and cheap rooms on the temple campus; evenings are kirtan, prasad canteens and ferry horns
Getting to Mayapur (Nabadwip)
Sealdah to Nabadwip Dham by train (3 h) then a ferry across, or a direct bus from Kolkata to Mayapur in 4 h
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Busy at its peak
- Solo travel
- Easy solo
- Altitude
- 11 m
- State
- West Bengal
- Coordinates
- 23.4234, 88.3908
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Mayapur (Nabadwip)?
November to February is peak season in Mayapur (Nabadwip). March and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to June. October is warm and clear after the rains, and November brings the Nabadwip Rash Yatra, a week of night processions through the old town.
How many days do you need in Mayapur (Nabadwip)?
2 days is the usual stay. Pilgrim guest houses on both banks and cheap rooms on the temple campus; evenings are kirtan, prasad canteens and ferry horns.
How do you get to Mayapur (Nabadwip)?
Sealdah to Nabadwip Dham by train (3 h) then a ferry across, or a direct bus from Kolkata to Mayapur in 4 h. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Mayapur (Nabadwip) expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs busy at the busiest time of year. Easy solo.
Is there a festival in Mayapur (Nabadwip)?
Mar: Gaura Purnima, Chaitanya's birth anniversary. Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Kalna (Ambika Kalna)
West Bengal
108 Shiva temples in a double ring, and a Rajbari of terracotta walls
30 km from Mayapur (Nabadwip), roughly under an hour by road
-
Chandannagar
West Bengal
French Hooghly riverfront and Bengal's best festival lighting
80 km from Mayapur (Nabadwip), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Shantiniketan (Bolpur)
West Bengal
Tagore's university town of open-air classes and Baul song
100 km from Mayapur (Nabadwip), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Murshidabad (Hazarduari)
West Bengal
Nawabi capital of Bengal in ruins along the Bhagirathi
110 km from Mayapur (Nabadwip), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Kolkata
West Bengal
India's cultural capital - colonial streets, great food
120 km from Mayapur (Nabadwip), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Maluti
Jharkhand
Seventy-two terracotta temples in a forgotten Jharkhand village
140 km from Mayapur (Nabadwip), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Bishnupur (Terracotta Temples)
West Bengal
Laterite and terracotta temples of the Malla kings
150 km from Mayapur (Nabadwip), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Susunia Hill (Bankura)
West Bengal
Bengal's rock-climbing hill, with a 4th century royal inscription
190 km from Mayapur (Nabadwip), roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in West Bengal
- Ajodhya Hills (Purulia) West Bengal
- Bakkhali & Henry Island West Bengal
- Belpahari (Kankrajhore) West Bengal
- Bishnupur (Terracotta Temples) West Bengal
- Buxa Tiger Reserve (Jayanti) West Bengal
- Chandannagar West Bengal
- Darjeeling West Bengal
- Gangasagar (Sagar Island) West Bengal
- Garh Panchkot West Bengal
- Gaur (Malda) West Bengal
- Gorumara National Park (Lataguri) West Bengal
- Jaldapara National Park (Madarihat) West Bengal
- Jhalong & Bindu (Jaldhaka Valley) West Bengal
- Jhargram West Bengal
- Kalimpong West Bengal
- Kalna (Ambika Kalna) West Bengal
- Kolkata West Bengal
- Lava & Rishop (Neora Valley) West Bengal
- Mandarmani-Tajpur West Bengal
- Mirik West Bengal
- Mukutmanipur West Bengal
- Murshidabad (Hazarduari) West Bengal
- Sandakphu West Bengal
- Shantiniketan (Bolpur) West Bengal
- Sittong (Orange Village) West Bengal
- Sundarbans West Bengal
- Susunia Hill (Bankura) West Bengal