New Vrindaban is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and an

ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 ...

(

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna may refer to: * International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a group commonly known as "Hare Krishnas" or the "Hare Krishna movement" * Hare Krishna (mantra), a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra also known as the "Maha Mantra" (Great ...

)

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed to foster a high degree of group cohesiveness, social cohesion and teamwork. Such communities typically promote shared values or beliefs, or pursue a common vision, wh ...

located in Marshall County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, United States, near

Moundsville Moundsville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 8,122 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. The city was named for the nearby an ...

. The town consists of (0.1 km² of which is water), and several building complexes, homes, apartment buildings, and businesses including the Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra Temple (RVC Temple) and Prabhupada's Palace of Gold. New Vrindaban was founded in 1968 under the direct guidance of

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (; ) (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was a spiritual, philosophical, and religious teacher from India who spread the Hare Krishna (mantra), Hare Krishna mantra and the teachings of "# ...

, founder of ISKCON, by his disciple

Kirtanananda Swami Kirtanananda Swami (; September 6, 1937 – October 24, 2011), also known as Swami Bhaktipada, was a Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava guru, the co-founder of New Vrindaban, a Hare Krishna movement, Hare Krishna community in Marshall Coun ...

. It is named for the Indian city of

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

. It is one of many "rural communities" set up by ISKCON followers across the world.

Geography

According to the 2010 US Census, the six census blocks that make up New Vrindaban had a population of 352 and had the West Virginia status of unincorporated town. It is bordered on the north and northwest by

Big Wheeling Creek Wheeling Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River, long, in the northern panhandle of West Virginia, with a watershed extending into southwestern Pennsylvania. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining a ...

, on the East by Stull Run, and on the southwest by the village of

Limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. The town's water and sewage utilities are provided by the New Vrindaban Public Service District, and following the Marshall County Commission's road naming project all streets in New Vrindaban have been fully named. In addition to ISKCON, the town is the location of McCreary Cemetery, resting place of West Virginia pioneer

Lewis Wetzel Lewis Wetzel (1763–1808) was an American scout and frontiersman. Because of how feared he was by the Native American Tribes, he was nicknamed "Death Wind". He stood about 5ft 10in with knee length black hair. He was an expert with a knife and ...

; various locally owned businesses; and other ISKCON-affiliated organizations. The chief components in New Vrindaban's economy are tourism, agriculture, and cottage industries as well as income from

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

on the community's land. The religious organization ISKCON New Vrindaban is the largest holder of land in New Vrindaban with 38% of the land. The nonprofit organization ECO-Vrindaban, Inc. holds 14%, and all other organizations and individuals own 48% of the land encompassing New Vrindaban. In addition to the previously mentioned organizations, as of 2010 jewellery manufacturer Lone Ones Inc., organic commercial bakery World's Best Cookie, Vaishnava Performing Arts Inc., and

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

Heritage Trust Inc. had facilities in New Vrindaban.

History

The community was founded in 1968 by

and Hayagriva Das, two early disciples of

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (; ) (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was a spiritual, philosophical, and religious teacher from India who spread the Hare Krishna mantra and the teachings of "Krishna consciousness" ...

. New Vrindaban developed under the guidance of Kirtanananda Swami (honored as "Srila Bhaktipada" after March 1979), and by the mid-1970s the live-in population had grown to over 100. By the 1980s the population was more than 500. According to

ISKCON News The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 ...

, on July 4, 1983 Vedavyasa Priya Swami installed the statue of Sri Nathji at the RVC Temple. Conversely, according to Gargarishi Das, the deity was not installed by Vedavyasa Priya, but was installed instead by

. In October, 1986, a census report showed 377 adults living at the community. On March 16, 1987, during their annual meeting at

Mayapur Mayapur () is a human settlement and pilgrimage town in the Nabadwip CD block in the Krishnanagar Sadar subdivision of the Nadia district, West Bengal, India. It is situated at the confluence of the Jalangi River and the Bhagirathi, a dist ...

, India, the ISKCON Governing Body Commission expelled Kirtanananda from the society for "moral and theological deviations." The community of New Vrindaban was expelled from ISKCON a year later. After Kirtanananda Swami left New Vrindaban, and new leadership stabilized, the community was readmitted to ISKCON in 1998.

Culture

New Vrindaban is named for the Indian city of

Cuisine

New Vrindaban is strictly

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and believes that meat consumption creates negative

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

Alcoholic beverages Drinks containing alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered non-alcoholic. Many societies have a di ...

and illegal substances (such as drugs) are prohibited in the main holy sites around the Temple of Understanding Circle Drive.

Popular culture

A structure known as the Palace of the Winding Path, based on the Palace of Gold, is featured in the 2018 video game

Fallout 76 ''Fallout 76'' is a 2018 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is an installment in the ''Fallout'' series and a prequel to previous entries. Initially set in the year 2102, players ...

, though in-game it was never associated with the Hare Krishna movement either before or after the atomic war.

Prabhupada's Palace of Gold

Originally intended in 1972 to be a residence for

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (; ) (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was a spiritual, philosophical, and religious teacher from India who spread the Hare Krishna mantra and the teachings of "Krishna consciousness" ...

, the founder-

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...

(ISKCON), the plans evolved after Prabhupada's death in November 1977 for an ornate

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

and carved

teakwood Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

, which was dedicated as a memorial shrine on September 2, 1979.

, the leader of the New Vrindaban community, and Bhagavatananda Das, the community's principal architect and sculptor, were the two primary forces behind its design and construction. It reportedly cost $600,000 in materials, and the labor was donated by the devotees. The unpaid workers were often untrained and learned on the job. Kirtanananda Swami explained, "In the beginning, we didn't even know how to lay blocks. As our Krishna consciousness developed, our building skills developed, then our creativity developed, and the scope of the project developed." Prabhupada's Palace of Gold opened in 1979.Edward Schumacher, "West Virginia Marvels at Indian Palace," ''The New York Times'' (Monday, September 3, 1979)."Children of Krishna: Seeking heaven in West Virginia," ''The Courier-Journal Magazine'' (Sunday, February 10, 1980).

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

PM Magazine ''PM/Evening Magazine'' is a television series with a news and entertainment format. It was syndicated to stations throughout the United States. In most areas, ''Evening/PM Magazine'' was broadcast from the late 1970s into the late 1980s. Orig ...

'' reported, "the magnificence of the Palace of Gold would be hard to exaggerate." ''Life'' magazine called the Palace "a place where tourists can come and be amazed." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' proclaimed "Welcome to Heaven." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' called the palace "Almost Heaven." ''

The Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in ...

'' of

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

stated, "It's hard to believe that Prabhupada's Palace is in West Virginia. In fact, it's hard to believe it's on this planet." Beginning in the early 1990s, a lack of sufficient financial resources caused palace maintenance to be neglected; nevertheless, as of 2008, 50,000 tourists and

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

pilgrims reportedly continued to visit each year. Since mid-2011, an ambitious five-year, $4.27-million restoration effort has been underway to restore and renew the palace.

Gallery 1997–2007

File:NewVrindaban-Nandagram-School-New.png, Nandagram School (New Building) Stull Run Road, New Vrindaban, WV, US File:NewVrindaban-McCreary-Cemetery.png, McCreary Cemetery, New Vrindaban, WV, US File:NewVrindabanCommunity1997.jpg, Picture of New Vrindaban Community sign in July 1997. File:KrishnaTemple1997.jpg, Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra Temple in July 1997. File:Prabhupada's Palace of Gold at New Vrindaban.jpg,

Prabhupada's Palace of Gold New Vrindaban is an unincorporated area and an ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Hare Krishna) intentional community located in Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall County, West Virginia, United States, near Moundsville, ...

in June 2007. File:PalaceofGoldsideview2007.jpg, A side view of Prabhupada's Palace of Gold in June 2007. File:SriSriGauraNitai2007.jpg, Statues of

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

and

Nityananda Nityananda (, ; c. 1474-c. 1540), also called Nityananda Prabhu and Nitai, was a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal. Nityananda was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. Chaitanya and Nityananda are ...

(Sri Sri Gaura Nitai) in June 2007. File:RadhaVrinChandraTemple2007.jpg, Entrance of Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra Temple in June 2007. File:RoseGarden2007.jpg, The rose garden in June 2007. File:PrabhuphadGold1997.jpg, Statue of

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (; ) (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was a spiritual, philosophical, and religious teacher from India who spread the Hare Krishna mantra and the teachings of "Krishna consciousness" ...

in July 1997.

References

All information is sourced from the following article unless stated otherwise * Rochford, Burke E. Jr. and Kendra Baile
''Almost Heaven: Leadership, Decline and the Transformation of New Vrindaban''
in ''

Nova Religio ''Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering religious studies, focusing on the academic study of new religious movements. It was established in 1997 by Seven Bridges ...

: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions'' Vol. 9 nr. 3 February 2006

Footnotes

External links

New Vrindaban Website

Prabhupada's Palace of Gold Website
{{Northern Panhandle of West Virginia Populated places in Marshall County, West Virginia International Society for Krishna Consciousness temples Vaishnavism Hindu temples in West Virginia Religious organizations established in 1968 Religious buildings and structures completed in 1979 Religion in West Virginia Religious buildings and structures in West Virginia Vegetarian communities Tourist attractions in Marshall County, West Virginia Intentional communities in the United States Asian-American culture in West Virginia Indian-American culture in West Virginia Buildings and structures in Marshall County, West Virginia 1968 establishments in West Virginia Hinduism in the United States