Giampaolo Tomassetti Giampaolo Tomassetti, or Jnananjana Dasa, was born on March 8, 1955, in Terni, Italy. From 1980 to 1987, he was a founding member of the International Vedic Art Academy, located at Villa Vrindavan in Italy. A number of his paintings appear in books published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. He has held about thirty exhibitions all around Italy. One of his great loves is painting frescoes and walls. He worked on the Mahabharata project for the last twelve years in Citta di Castello, Perugia, Italy.
Krishna Dharma Krishna Dharma lives in England with his wife, Cintamani, and three children: Madhva, Radhika, and Janaki. He is the author of a number of English retellings of ancient Indian classics, including Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Panchatantra. He is also a regular guest broadcaster on the BBC's Pause For Thought. He writes many articles on current events from the Vedic perspective, as a student of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Prabhupada is the author of acclaimed English translations of and commentaries on the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. Krishna Dharma's aim is to make these teachings accessible and relevant to today's world. His motto is "Spiritual Solutions for Material Problems," which sums up his mission of addressing the multitude of society's problems with the profound teachings of ancient sages.
MOSA purchased the Mahabharata collection by Jananjana Dasa before it miraculously found its way to the ground floor of the main building of Villa Vrindavan, where it is now permanently housed. The works seem to have been made for the walls of the renovated villa, without anyone having been conscious of how this match would take place. Maybe providence played a role. The whole collection perfectly fits in the spacious ground-floor rooms. When I walk through the rooms filled with Mahabharata scenes, I am mesmerized by the size of the paintings and the intensity of the anecdotes and stories they present. They carry us back to a time of great saintly warriors and sages.
This exhibit in Villa Vrindavan, just outside Florence, Italy, marks the opening of MOSA's second branch (its original galleries are in Belgium). MOSA hopes to bring to this beautiful villa in Tuscany a variety of sacred art, including Vaishnava and Hindu art. We are convinced that visitors will cherish their Villa Vrindavan experience: a blend of art, music, dance, spirituality, and amazing vegetarian cuisine.
MOSA renovated Villa Vrindavan's main building to house a permanent collection of ISKCON art based on the great epics Mahabharata and Ramayana and the famous Bhagavat Purana, sacred to all Vaishnavas. Also, MOSA renovated the Villa's old chapel to house temporary exhibits of devotional and sacred art.
I wish to transform Villa Vrindavan into a spiritual experience whose beauty and message touches every visitor. May everyone's heart become purified in this transcendental realm of spiritual devotion.
Some words of gratitude ... To the creator of this amazing collection and his friend who had the vision to carry it forward: Jananjana Dasa and Pandu Putra Dasa - thank you for sharing your passion, talent, vision, patience, tolerance, and joy.
To the leader who is slowly but surely putting Villa Vrindavan on the map of places to visit in Tuscany: Parabhakti Dasa - thank you for your determination and leadership skills.
To the devotees of Villa Vrindavan, who work hard to realize Srila Prabhupada's dream of making ISKCON an exemplary spiritual institution that uplifts humanity - thank you for sacrificing your comfort and security for this higher goal.
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