This colourfully decorated temple is a place of worship and spiritual education for one of Hinduism’s major branches.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Temple in New Delhi is a famous Vaishnav temple. Vaishnavism is a major branch of the Hindu faith and the temple is one of the largest in India. The building is divided into four broad sections, with a number of rooms for priests and services, as well as several administrative halls.
See the colourful and intricate works by Russian artists that decorate the temple’s interior walls as you wander through. These artworks represent different phases of certain deities’ lives.
Listen to or join in with the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (“Great Mantra”) chants. The word mantra translates as “that which delivers one from the influence of the mind”.
Inside the ISKCON Temple complex is Govinda’s Pure Vegetarian Restaurant. It serves satvik vegetarian food, which is first offered to the supreme lord before being served to the public. This Indian-style food is healthy and nutritious, and is said to be cleansing.
ISKCON has seven purposes, which visitors to the temple can learn about. These aims include educating people about Krishna and spreading spiritual knowledge to society at large, with the ultimate goal of achieving unity and peace in the world.
The temple is open every day of the year, with the Hindu religious ritual of Arati held a number of times throughout the day. The first is very early in the morning and the last is late in the evening.
Although ISKCON is directly opposite a busy market, there is usually plenty of parking nearby. It is located in Sant Nagar, New Delhi, and is easily accessible from any part of the city. If you are heading straight for ISKCON Temple from the airport, you can order a prepaid taxi, which will take 30-45 minutes to get there.
