Prabhupada's Palace of Gold

Prabhupada's Palace of Gold is a memorial shrine built by Hare Krishna devotees for their spiritual master, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), the Founder/Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). ["Prabhupada's Palace of Gold: A Labor of Love" (Palace Press, Moundsville, West Virginia: c. 1982)] It is located at the New Vrindaban Community in Marshall County, West Virginia, and reportedly cost $600,000 in materials (labor was free). [Yogeshvara Das, "In the Hills of West Virginia: Prabhupada's Palace of Gold," Back to Godhead, vol. 16, no. 7 (c. June 1981), 5.]

Originally intended in 1972 to be a residence for Swami Prabhupada, the plans eventually evolved into an ornate palace of marble, gold and carved teakwood, which was dedicated on September 2, 1979. Kirtanananda Swami (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.

Devotee artisans and construction workers were untrained and unpaid, but by trial and error eventually succeeded in their attempt to create a memorial for their spiritual master. ["In the process of building the Palace our devotees have become expert in so many arts and crafts; many which we never before thought possible. The labor on the Palace—truly a labor of love—has been done completely by the devotees of New Vrindaban, without any remuneration except for the highest; that is, developing one's spiritual consciousness, knowing that one's efforts are being devoted solely for the pleasure of Krishna and the spiritual master." Damodar Pandit Das, "Scenes from Prabhupada's Palace," "Brijabasi Spirit", vol. 4, no. 7 (October 1977), 8.] 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." [ Kirtanananda Swami, cited by Edward Schumacher, "West Virginia Marvels at Indian Palace," "The New York Times" (Monday, September 3, 1979).]

CBS PM Magazine 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." [ Hillary Johnson, "Children of a Harsh Bliss: In a West Virginia Commune, an Extraordinary Look at Life and Love Among the Krishnas," "Life" (April 1980).] The New York Times proclaimed "Welcome to Heaven." [ Edward Schumacher, "West Virginia Marvels at Indian Palace," "The New York Times" (Monday, September 3, 1979).] The Washington Post called the Palace "Almost Heaven." [ Lynn Darling, "Krishna Land," "The Washington Post" (Monday, September 3, 1979), D1.)] The Courier-Journal of Louisville 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." [ "Children of Krishna: Seeking heaven in West Virginia," "The Courier-Journal Magazine" (Sunday, February 10, 1980). ]

Since the early 1990s, due to mismanagement and lack of sufficient financial resources, Palace maintenance has been sometimes neglected, but tens of thousands of tourists and Hindu pilgrims reportedly still visit each year. [See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Vrindaban#Current_activities New Vrindaban Current Activities]

Picture gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.palaceofgold.com/ Prabhupada's Palace of Gold official site]
* [http://newvrindaban.com/ New Vrindaban Community official site]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Limestone+and+Dallas+Rd&daddr=39.942252,-80.617204&hl=en&geocode=FS9lYQId5J8x-w%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=15&sll=39.949786,-80.605402&sspn=0.016022,0.027466&ie=UTF8&t=k&ll=39.96202,-80.603895&spn=0.001908,0.003433&z=18 Prabhupada's Palace at Google Maps]