Re-awakening Madhuban
by Sukhavaha dd
In the 1970’s there was a small farmhouse located at the Madhuban property (across from Sankirtan and Ruci’s house), where Lord Jaganatha resided for many years with Mother Hladini and others taking care of Them.
Srila Prabhupada also visited this site and was very pleased with the small “Prabhupada huts” that were made out of rammed earth.
Now, in 2012, due to ECOV’s vision to create an ECO village, work has begun to prepare the area for low impact lifestyle. There will be an ox barn, water catchment, gardens, orchards, and renewable energy use in houses which will be built out of recycled materials and earth sheltered..
Many trees have been cleared on the hillside facing the Palace and a new planting of fruit and nut trees has been started. Eventually the whole hillside will be replaced with food bearing trees.
In addition Varsana Maharaj has been working on the site to make a gradual road down into the lower plateau where the village is planned.
Varsana Maharaj has a D-7 dozer and attached to it he has a huge D-9 blade. This gives this machine tremendous power to move large amounts of dirt and rock. This dozer is specifically meant for making roads that no little dozer could do, especially because there was a lot of bedrock and a huge plate of rock that was right in the middle of the road. So, this large bedrock had to be moved down the hill and dirt from one level had to be carried to the lower level to make the steeper slope more gradual.
A more gradual grade will make it easier for oxen to pull on the hill, and ease it for pedestrians and bikes as well.
View from State road.
View from lower part of the road.
The rough work of the road was one phase. The next phase was dressing up the area and fine tuning. There were many stumps that were too short to be pulled and so they had to be buried with dirt. Maharaja took the dirt from a small hill near the main road and leveled that area more, while covering and leveling the area next to it.
After this, Nara Hari and Garrison mulched the area, which involved broadcasting (seeding) with white clover and rye grass seed to create a base that will grow fast and prevent erosion. After seeding lime and fertilizer were also spread. The final touch was mulching with hay which finished off the area very nicely.
Then the first layer of 2″x3/4″ gravel was laid to make it drivable by vehicles and make a base for the road. The top coating on the road will be recycled milled asphalt.
After Chesapeake drilled a gas well on our neighbor’s down Stull’s Run (the other side of the ridge from Bahulaban) they fixed the road coming in from Route 250. They had a milling machine and removed a lot old asphalt and we were able to get it.
We are grateful to all those of you contributed to having this project be complete.
” hillside facing the Palace ”
isnt that the north facing slope ? not the best for fruit trees .
oh , almost forgot the Mayan calender says the poles will be shifting in 3 weeks !!
I came to live at Madhuban years after the temple was closed ; ’81 to ‘ 87 . 1 of only 3 residents . Sure was peaceful .
i liked EVERYTHING about the Prabhupada house . I had the 2nd one from the road, that was a duplex !
Bottom floor was 10’x10′ rammed earth with concrete floor and a shower . On 85+ degree days it was always cool . The upper floor was 6’ pitched metal roof, the winter haven with the woodstove belowdeck . A hidden 30g barrel supplied water tothe shower downstairs.
Sure wish I had some pics …