Dear friends of Vrindavan, ashram leaders, temples with websites, or anyone who currently

shares or wants to share information about Sri Braj Mandala with local and/or global

communities:

The Internet community of the Braj Vrindavan Heritage Alliance (BVHA) is inviting you to

participate in the forming of a network to serve Sri Vrindavan Dham. We will teach those who

need to learn particular Internet skills (see below).

THE INTERNET AS A MEANS OF SERVING VRINDAVAN

Nowadays the Internet is the main source of information for many people. Although this

situation has its drawbacks, including the negative health impacts associated with the long hours

of sitting that many children and adults do in front of computers, there are also great benefits. We

in the BVHA Internet committee plan on utilizing the positive aspects of the Internet in order to

glorify and benefit Vrindavan to the maximum - not just as a place to visit, but as a place to

worship, care for, and serve so that future generations may love it as we now do.

HOW WILL WE USE THE INTERNET TO DO SUCH A THING?

The BVHA has already begun or contributed to numerous websites promoting care for the

temples, natural environment and people of Braj Vrindavan, including:

Vrindavan Today (in Hindi and English): Vrindavan Today is an online news source covering

religious establishments, movements and events, as well as politics and environmental issues

connected with the Dham. Immediate needs: Vrindavan Today is desperately seeking bilingual

Hindi-English writers and translators, as well as contributions toward staff and advertising.

The BVHA official website: This is a website covering specific issues and activities of the

BVHA, which seeks to protect the heritage of Vrindavan, including historic buildings, natural

environment and ritual, culinary and artistic practices. One of the BVHA’s biggest efforts has

been to promote Vrindavan to be recognized as a World Heritage site. Thus far, this project has

required extensive lobbying via the Internet, using the BVHA and other websites to gain global

support and encourage people to sign petitions and write to government leaders to get them to

nominate Vrindavan as a World Heritage Site with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Taj Mahal has this status but the spiritual importance of

Sri Vrindavan Dham for India and indeed the entire world makes it a much more obvious and

essential choice for designation as a World Heritage Site. Immediate needs: Internet committee

members who are sustaining Vrindavan-related networks via social media are needed as

administrators and discussion participants to help continue this effort to increase Vrindavan’s

recognition and respect throughout the world.

Vina.cc: News regarding the activities of Vrindavan's Vaishnava temples and other sites can be

found at Vina.cc. We want to create a network of mutual cooperation in sharing this kind of

inspiration and information and have therefore also made the website virtualdarshan.org which

can easily be expanded to include additional important temples and information. Immediate

needs: Good digital photographs and information for addition to virtualdarshan.org.

THE NEXT STEPS AND MORE WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

We need your participation as we continue and expand this important work to secure the

glorification and well-being of the Dham. We are therefore inviting you to a meeting of the

Internet committee of the BVHA.

You are definitely qualified to assist this meeting if you answer yes to any of the following

questions:

- Do you want to find out how to serve Vrindavan through Internet activities?

- Do you want Vrindavan to become designated as a World Heritage Site?

- Would you like to volunteer to help the Internet services of the BVHA either by designing or

maintaining pages, typing or correcting text, providing pictures or writing articles for relevant

activities connected with Braj Mandala?

- Do you have a collection of interesting pictures of Braj Mandala that you would be willing to

share with those who love Vrindavan?

- Do you have a collection of older important stories about Braj Vrindavan’s sacredness, politics

or environment which includes content that is not currently available online?

- Do you have any artworks or antiques connected with the culture of Vrindavan in your home

that could be photographed and presented to other lovers of Vrindavan?

- Do you have a Facebook account that glorifies Sri Vrindavan Dham or any other aspect of it?

- Do you have a website which talks about the cleaning of Ganges or Yamuna?

- Do you maintain a website for your particular Mandir or for Braj Mandala as either a

webmaster or an administrator?

- Do you have a business Internet site that you would like to advertise on our Vrindavan pages to

help finance the web services for Vrindavan Dham?

MEETING AND INTERNET SKILLS COACHING

Gandharvika Dasi will conduct a seminar for the BVHA Internet committee in English. In this

seminar, you will be shown directly what is already available online about Braj Vrindavan and

what can be done to add to and improve this. For example, some of the lesser known Internet

resources regarding Vrindavan include the memoirs of Sri Vrindavan Dham, which is available

online as an E-book, most of the Goswamis’ Grantha, which has been stored on the Internet as a

service to Vrindavan, and virtual darshan, which allows anyone, anywhere to take online darshan

of Vrindavan’s most important deities. These are only a few of the numerous resources being

offered to the world through our online community.

Feel free to participate and also to openly express your interest in this community so that no one

will feel excluded. Those who need Internet lessons to teach them how to be involved are also

welcome to attend a second meeting teaching skills such as how to run a website, how to make a

Facebook page, and how to blog for Vrindavan. The date and venue for the second meeting will

be determined during the first meeting.

It will be our pleasure to help you learn these skills because the Internet can be a tool to make

Vrindavan more glorious and more protected; all those who are ready to sacrifice their energy

and time to serve Srimati Radharani and her holy domain will use the Internet in this way.

The first meeting of the BVHA Internet community will be held at Yamuna Kunja ashram, near

Imlitala Mandir, on the … If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like some advice on

how to participate in the BVHA Internet community, please contact Gandharvika Dasi at (+91)

9690274444.

With affection,

Pancatattwa Dasa Member of the Internet committee of the Braj Vrindavan Heritage Alliance and Internet secretary of the World

Vaishnava Association.