My dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. On this most auspicious occasion of your
Vyāsa-pūjā, we, the members of ISKCON Halifax, offer our heartfelt gratitude and love. We are
eternally indebted to you for your boundless compassion and the transformative power of your
teachings, which have illuminated our lives and guided us on the path of pure devotion.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your divine presence is deeply felt in Halifax. We recall with great joy and
reverence the visit of your beloved disciple, His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami Mahārāja, during
his first Canada walk in 1996. At that time, Mahārāja expressed a profound desire to establish
an ISKCON temple in Halifax. By your immeasurable grace, that transcendental desire has now
manifested!
On behalf of His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami Mahārāja and the entire congregation of
ISKCON Halifax, we are overjoyed to present to you the first and largest ISKCON temple in
Atlantic Canada. This temple, located at 29 Westwood Blvd, Upper Tantallon, is a 7,700-square-
foot, 23-year-old former Anglican church on nine acres of beautiful land. Its strategic location,
close to major Highway 103 and an upcoming affluent suburb, ensures accessibility for devotees
from all corners of the city, with a convenient 25 or 30-minute drive.
The temple features a simple yet elegant layout, including a spacious main hall capable of
accommodating three hundred devotees, a prasādam hall and kitchen, with a capacity of 180 devo-
tees, and several rooms that will serve as pūjārī quarters, brahmacārī quarters, a children’s school,
and other essential facilities.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, the acquisition of this property was a testament to your divine intervention.
Initially, when this property was on sale, our local realtor devotee, Nikhil Kapoor, informed us
about it. Due to its extraordinary features, numerous religious organizations and investors were
eager to purchase it. The seller received six offers, including ours. When Maṅgalānanda Dāsa
and Savyasācin Dāsa visited the property with us, they established an amazing and respectful
connection with the seller. Along with our offer of $1.5 million (the asking price was $1.9 million),
we included a letter written by Vyāsa Dāsa to the church owners, explaining what ISKCON is
and our sincere intentions for using this sacred property. That letter, combined with ISKCON’s
esteemed reputation, sealed the deal for us. Despite receiving higher offers, the church owners
chose to accept our offer, recognizing the purity of our purpose.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are deeply moved by the extraordinary support we have received
from our ISKCON family. ISKCON Toronto has generously offered $350,000, His Holiness
Bhaktimārga Swami Mahārāja has contributed $150,000, ISKCON Brampton has provided
$30,000, and ISKCON Montreal has extended $2,000. It was monumentally inspiring to witness
the unity and collective spirit of all the temples in Zone 1 coming together to support this sacred
endeavor. His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami Mahārāja and His Grace Indreśa Gaura Dāsa were
very instrumental in igniting this wave of support.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have set both short-term (1–3 years) and long-term goals to ensure the
temple’s growth and the continued spread of your mission:
Short-term goals:
• Install a decent-sized altar (7.5 feet wide and 8.5 feet tall) and establish the worship of home
Deities, Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi Sagarīśvara.
• Encourage 7–10 devotees to take hari-nāma initiation in 2025 and train them in your stan-
dards of Deity worship.
• Encourage 4–5 devotees to take brāhmaṇa initiation in 2026.
• Strengthen our congregation’s relationship with you by keeping your seven purposes of
ISKCON in the center and encouraging regular study of your books.
• Establish effective management policies for progressive development and appoint sincere
devotees to lead various departments.
• Renovate the existing kitchen to effectively cook for 300–500 devotees.
• Create an exclusive room for your transcendental literature, with a proper inventory system,
and increase the book distribution so we can become one of the top five book distribution
temples in Zone 1.
• Start a Sunday school for children.
• Develop strategies for youth, Vaiṣṇava, and Vaiṣṇavī empowerment.
• Develop plans to generate a continuous stream of rental income.
• Develop preaching strategies to increase attendance among the Western community.
• Increase our outreach presence into local universities.
Long-term goals:
• Develop a congregation of devotees who practice strong daily sādhana and selflessly serve to
please Kṛṣṇa and you, Śrīla Prabhupāda – a congregation that understands the mood of this
movement and cooperatively works toward your seven purposes for ISKCON.
• Make this temple the ISKCON headquarters for the Atlantic Canada region, where smaller
centers can receive training to spread our movement and eventually establish their own
temples.
• Start a full-fledged Govinda’s restaurant.
• Install an opulent altar (21 feet wide and 17 feet tall) and install Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Jagannātha,
Balarāma, Subhadrā, and Gaura-Nitāi Deities.
• Make this temple financially stable, with surplus funds to support other temples.
• Make this temple one of the top five well-managed temples in Zone 1.
This temple stands as a testament to your divine vision and the unwavering dedication of your fol-
lowers. We pray that it will become a vibrant center for spreading the glories of the holy name, a
sanctuary for devotees, and a beacon of spiritual light for the entire community.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I want to summarize the heartfelt expressions from a few congrega-
tional members who attempted to write an offering to you. This summary includes the offerings
from Bhaktin Simran, Bhaktin Morin, Bhakta Rohan, Bhakta Neeraj, Bhaktin Kruti, and Bhaktin
Manish.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have fundamentally changed our lives, revealing the path
to Kṛṣṇa and spiritual understanding. You have provided answers to essential ques-
tions about the soul, our purpose, and true happiness. You are a direct conduit to
Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and guidance, a spiritual master, caretaker, friend, mother figure, and
guide. We have immense gratitude for your teachings, books, and the community you
have established. We aspire to deepen our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, follow your teachings,
and serve you and your devotees. We desire to make you proud.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we humbly beg for your continued blessings and guidance. May we always
remain faithful to your teachings and strive to fulfill your mission. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare / Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.
Your servant,
Ambarīṣa Dasa
on behalf of your servants at ISKCON Halifax