ISKCON Temple
ISKCON
HARE RAMA HARE KRISHNA, are the first lines that comes to a person's
mind when he thinks of ISKCON. The ISKCON sect (International Society
for Shri Krishna Consciousness) was established by A.C. Bhaktvedanta
Swami Srila Prabhupad in 1966. He was an avid follower of Krishna and
Swami Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (a 15th century devotee of Krishna). Swami
Prabhupad took the responsibily of spreading the Krishna knowledge
globally. His movement became a grand success, as the Hippy culture was
also on rise and he managed to convince Hippies about the almighty
Krishna. The sect is based on a simple mission of spreading Krishna
knowledge all over the world. They follow Vaishnava philosophy, which
asks for simple living and devotion to Vishnu and his incarnations
(Krishna being one of them).
The Hare Rama Hare Krishna Temple
The temple was amongst the first ISKCON temples in India. The
foundation was laid by Swami Prabhupad himself and the temple was
constructed under his supervision. Swami Prabhupad also took samadhi at
this place later. The temple was constructed in 1975. The complete
temple is built in white marble and decorated pieces of stones. The
temple has three altars. On the first altar are Sri Gaura Nitai, the
most merciful incarnations of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda
Prabhu who appeared about 500 years ago at West Bengal. The divine
brothers, Sri Krishna and Balaram, are worshiped on the central altar
and on the third altar are Sri Radha Shyamasundara along their
confidential gopis, Lalita and Vishakha. Since 1975, the Sri Krishna
Balaram Temple Complex has expanded considerably to fulfil Srila
Prabhupada's vision for an international center in Vrindavan. In front
of the temple is the Samadhi Mandir of Swami Prabhupada. This is where
his body was laid to rest after he left this world and returned to the
spiritual world.
The Temple Environment
The temple has a very unique environment. Devotees from all around the
world can be seen in and outside the temple. The temple follows the
typical ISKCON culture, which says "Krishna consciousness is meant
to be a joyful process, and in our lives joy is expressed through
culture. Spiritual life should include the perfection of beauty in
musical, visual, and literary arts. Arts in the mode of goodness should
be pleasing to the ear, the eye, the tongue, and the other senses".
People from different nationalities, ethnicity, linguistic backgrounds,
economic class and academic backgrounds can be seen here, praying and
singing to please Krishna for his blessings. Everyone is so lost in love
with Krishna, that he/she is totally unaware of anything happening
around. Stalls of religious articles, books and idols are being
organised by these devotees. People from farlands have come here and
made it there real home, far from there original country.
How to Visit
The temple lies at the entry of Vrindavan town. Anyone visiting to
Vrindavan would come across the temple first as the sheer beauty of
temple can attract anyone.
