Flood Recovery at Rupanuga Bhajan Ashram, Vṛndāvana

This monsoon season, Rupanuga Bhajan Ashram in Vṛndāvana was once again struck by severe flooding when the Yamunā River overflowed its banks. For more than a week, the entire ground floor of the āśrama was submerged in waist-deep water, rising even higher than during the record-breaking flood of 2023. Many of the downstairs rooms were badly affected, and parts of the compound sustained structural damage.

During the height of the flooding, we worked tirelessly to safeguard the āśrama, vehicles and to relocate the āśrama’s twenty-one cows to safety in Govardhan. Once the waters began to recede, we spent days pumping out the remaining water with a gas-powered pump before beginning the long process of cleaning and repair.

By the grace of Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga, and with the kind assistance of devotees and well-wishers, the recovery work is now well underway.

In the long term, our goal is to begin the challenging but necessary work of raising the low-lying areas of the āśrama with earth and strengthening the compound walls to better withstand future floods. We never expected another severe flood to come so soon after the devastating 2023 inundation, but it now appears that such flooding may become a more frequent occurrence.

We’ve organised a fundraiser – any support, even small, really helps us move forward with the cleanup and restoration process.