By the time Srila Prabhupada arrived at the temple, the sun had set, and both buildings were in darkness. As Prabhupada stepped out of the car, however, someone, as pre-arranged, turned on the main switch. Immediately the entire property was lit up by the combined illumination of hundreds of coloured bulbs. Prabhupada, beaming with pleasure and accompanied by a loud kirtana, entered the front gate. As he reached the main entrance to his house he was showered with rose petals from the veranda above.
Madhudvisa escorted Prabhupada up the three steps to the portico, through the door and into the opulent entrance hall. The floor glistened with glazed Italian ceramic tiles. A delicate blue and clear crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the carved cedar handrail and banisters gleamed. Prabhupada looked impressed as he slowly walked up the steep, red-carpeted stairs to the upper floor.
As Prabhupada paused at the top of stairs, Madhudvisa stepped forward and opened the white door to Prabhupada's room. The former chapel had been tastefully refurbished. A large, Belgian-style rug sat in the centre of the highly polished parquet floor. Deep Italianate cornices adorned the ceiling, as did chandeliers hanging from decorative rosettes. Prabhupada stepped inside and looked around the room at the stained glass windows, the heavy powder-blue velvet drapes, the matching walls with white trim and the antique ebony and blue-velvet furniture. He turned to the devotees, and with a look of humble, child-like innocence, he asked, "Is this all for me?"
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
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