Many devotees have the dream of coming to live in Mayapur. That’s the place where Lord Caitanya inaugurated his sankirtan movement, and also the biggest Vaishnava community in the world. It is the spiritual capital of the world, so to say. Mayapur is described as being no different from Vrindavana, and in fact, all the holy places are present here. There are expansions of Kurukshetra, Naimisharanya, and even Jagannatha Puri, everything within walking distance.
The problem in coming to live in Mayapur is how to maintain oneself here. If one is prepared to live a renounced life, is always possible to find a hole in the wall somewhere and live by distributing books to the pilgrims or doing some menial service, but for the ones who have families or are not yet prepared for a life of renunciation things are of course more complicated.
Mayapur is situated in rural India, therefore the cost of living is still very low compared to most other places. However, money is still needed. If one wants to live with European standards, he will probably have to pay like in Europe, but one who is satisfied with the local standards can live with quite a little.
Most devotees have experience of Mayapur during Kartik or Gaura Purnima, the times of the year when there is a huge influx of visitors and the prices (especially for accommodations) rise a lot. If you plan to stay long-term in Mayapur, the best time to come is precisely after Gaura Purnima, or after Kartik, that’s the time when the pilgrims leave and you can find apartments for rent at a good price. You can then make a long-term contract, according to the time you plan to stay, and just pay a flat price for the whole year. Often, the price for renting an apartment for the whole year is not very different from the price of renting just two months for Kartika and Gaura Purnima.
Nowadays it’s possible to get X2 visas that allow one to live in Mayapur for 5 years continuously. To get the visa you need to find a service in one of the departments, so they issue the letter you need to present at the consulate. There is a local office inside the community that helps devotees to obtain and renew their visas. It’s necessary to renew it every year, but the process is done via the internet. After 5 years however you will need to travel back to your country to obtain a new visa.
Electricity in India is relatively cheap if compared to developed countries. One unit can cost from 7 to 10 rupees, depending on the type of meter used, and in most buildings, you don’t have to pay for water, since it comes from the ground. Mostly you need money for bhoga and home appliances.
The climate in Mayapur is hot and humid most of the year, but it’s much cooler compared to Vrindavana and most parts of northern India. Still, most devotees need an air conditioner to pass the summer. In the winter the problem is the humidity. Even if you are comfortable with the temperature, you may want to use a heater or a dehumidifier to deal with it.
Most devotees who live in Mayapur have some source of income in their countries of origin, like some pension, investments, or rented property. There are also many devotees who work online. Working over the internet (even if the payment is not the highest) is a very good option for devotees nowadays, since you can choose where to live and have more freedom with the work schedule. Apart from Mayapur, there are a few nice communities of devotees around the world that offer good prospects for advancing in spiritual life. That’s what I have been doing, for example, teaching English online.
Is it possible to find a job in Mayapur? It’s possible, but a little harder since the local salaries are quite low. There are many services where some maintenance contribution is offered, but it is usually very little money. There are however opportunities for making a living in the sector of services, manufacturing, and even export. If one has some special skill, like doing electrical installations, fixing pipes, fixing phones or computers, painting walls, making clothes, cooking, etc. it’s possible to make a living by offering such services to other devotees. Health treatments are also always in demand.
Being a rural region, it’s quite difficult to find good local professionals in most areas, therefore devotees who know how to make and fix things are always needed. There is also always a good demand for babysitters since most devotees have children and they need some help in order to be able to attend programs and do their services.
There is a small economy centered around the different shops. It’s possible to make different products for selling. A few devotees live on making bread, biscuits, milk sweets, or other types of products. Recently someone started selling a false coffee made from nuts, serving devotees who miss such a habit. Many devotees have disposable income and are always looking for good products to buy, so there are definitely possibilities in this area. Basically, anything that is needed for maintaining a family will find its buyers.
Srila Prabhupada mentioned in occasion his vision that Mayapur could have a local economy based on the production and export of devotional items. This is another opportunity for income since one can buy devotional articles here directly from the artisans and send them all over the world. This is of course already explored nowadays on a small scale but could become much bigger in the future.