New Vrindaban is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and an

ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktiv ...

(

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) The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the (" ...

) intentional community located in Marshall County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

, United States, near

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

. The town consists of (of which 0.1 km² is of 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, founder of ISKCON, by his disciple

Kirtanananda Swami Kirtanananda Swami (; September 6, 1937 – October 24, 2011), also known as Bhaktipada (), was a Gaudiya Vaishnava guru and the co-founder of New Vrindaban, a Hare Krishna community in Marshall County, West Virginia, where he served as spir ...

. 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 Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

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 in the United States, with a watershed extending into southwestern Pennsylvania. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississi ...

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

Limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. 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 (reference: C. B. Allman 1931) – 1808) was an American scout, frontiersman, and indian fighter in the United States. Raised in what is now the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, his exploits once hailed as similar to those o ...

; various locally owned businesses; and other ISKCON-affiliated organizations. The chief components in New Vrindaban's economy are tourism, agriculture, and cottage industries. 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 (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

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. 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. ISKCON New Vrindaban is strictly

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

and believes that meat consumption creates negative

karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means 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 descriptivel ...

Alcoholic beverages An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The cons ...

and

illegal substances A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Single C ...

(such as drugs) are prohibited in the main holy sites around the Temple of Understanding Circle Drive. According to ISKCON News, on 4 July 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 neighbourhood of Bamanpukur, in the Nabadwip CD block in the Krishnanagar Sadar subdivision of the Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is situated adjacent to Nabadwip, at the confluence of two rivers, where ...

, 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. The '' Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'' reported in 2006 the population stood at about 100. However, this number only indicated how many people were members listed in the community directory rather than official census numbers.

Prabhupada's Palace of Gold

Originally intended in 1972 to be a residence for A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ...

of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktiv ...

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

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

and carved teakwood, 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 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 to positive reviews.Edward Schumacher, "West Virginia Marvels at Indian Palace," ''The New York Times'' (Monday, September 3, 1979).Lynn Darling, "Krishna Land," ''The Washington Post'' (Monday, September 3, 1979), D1."Children of Krishna: Seeking heaven in West Virginia," ''The Courier-Journal Magazine'' (Sunday, February 10, 1980).

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

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. Origi ...

'' 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'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' proclaimed "Welcome to Heaven." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' 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''), is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Net ...

'' of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

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 lack of sufficient financial resources caused palace maintenance to be neglected; nevertheless, as of 2008, 50,000 tourists and

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

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

Gallery 1997–2007

File:NewVrindaban-Nandagram-School-Old-RanchBarGrill.png, Old Nandagram School building, now The Ranch Bar & Grill, Pine Hill Road, New Vrindaban, WV, US File:NewVrindaban-Nandagram-School-New.png, Nandagram School (New Building) Stull Run Road, New Vrindaban, WV, US File:NewVrindaban-Oxen-Road-02.png, Oxen 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 (Hare Krishna) intentional community located in Marshall County, West Virginia, United States, near Moundsville. The town consists of (of which 0.1 km² is of water), and several buildin ...

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 Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krish ...

and

Nityananda Nityānanda (; born circa 1474), also called Nitai, was a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal. Nitai was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. They are often mentioned together as ''Gaura-Nitai' ...

(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 in July 1997.

References and footnotes

All information is sourced to 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: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions'' Vol. 9 nr. 3 February 2006

External links

New Vrindaban Website

Prabhupada's Palace of Gold Website

Palace Lodge Accommodations at New Vrindaban
{{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