ISKCON Temple Delhi

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Delhi: Half-Day Private Temple Tour

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ISKCON Delhi, Delhi Overview

The ISKCON Temple, also known as the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Temple, is a Vaishnav temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radharani in the form of Radha Parthasarathi. It was established in the year 1998 by Achyut Kanvinde and is located in the Hare Krishna Hills, in the East of Kailash area of New Delhi. ISKON, whose actual name is Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi Mandir, was formed in the year 1995 by then CM if Delhi Sahib Singh Verma and Lt. Smt. Sushma Swaraj. The outer complex is embellished with intricate carvings and stonework and has many shops and a beautiful fountain. Inside the main sanctum, the idols are adorned with rich clothes and jewellery. The temple complex is also a centre for learning Vedic sciences and many devotional lectures and addresses are arranged for the benefit and spiritual nerve of devotees.

The centre hall with pristine artworks reverberates the heavenly tune of "Hare Rama Hare Krishna", which is the central theme in ISKCON Delhi. Sundays call for special prayer services, and the festival of Janmashtami is celebrated here with great vigour.
ISKCON temple also houses a museum which organises multimedia shows exhibiting great epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata

History of ISKCON

The ISKCON temples which are spread all over the world got their name from- The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). It is a spiritual institution founded in 1966 in New York by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Its core beliefs are based on 5,000-year-old Hindu scriptures, particularly the Bhagavad Gita. The ISKCON devotees consider Krishna as the source of all avatars of God and therefore, they refer to Him as 'the Supreme Personality of Godhead'.

All the ISKCON temples were formed to spread the practice of Bhakti Yoga in which the devotees dedicate their actions towards Lord Krishna. ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnavism sampradaya. Here, Vaishnavism means 'worship of Vishnu' and Gauda refers to Gauda region of West Bengal, where this form of Vaishnavism originated.

Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON wanted to construct the temples in all the major cities of India. Therefore, The ISKCON Temple of Delhi was made spread the knowledge of Vedic culture and develop a close relationship between people and Lord Krishna. Prabhupada also said, "These temples are spiritual hospitals. Just as a sick patient goes to a hospital to get cured of his disease, one comes to the temple of the Lord to have darsana of the Deities, to listen to the kirtan and preaching, so that one is inspired to dedicate his life to the teachings of the Lord."

Architecture of ISKCON

The main shrine gives way to three shrines that are located under the three spires, each of which is 90 feet tall. These are dedicated to Radha-Krishna, Sita-Ram and Guara-Nitai respectively. While the outer surface of the temple has detailed artwork, the inner sanctum has kaleidoscopic mosaics depicting the various phases of Krishna's life. Located on the perimeter of these shrines is the 'parikrama' compound, where pictures of different ISKCON temples are exhibited. Many images of Radha - Krishna adorn the complex as well.

Things To Do at ISKCON

Museum of Vedic Culture: ISKCON has a museum inside the temple complex which has all the modern facilities for spreading the knowledge about Vedic culture. The most outstanding part of the museum if the display of various gods and goddesses made of bronze. The visitors also enjoy the Video Expo that takes place here.
Ramayana Art Gallery: This room specifically interests the devotees as prominent scenes from the Ramayana are showcased here with multimedia and light and sound effects.
Bhagavadgita Animatronics Robot Show: A unique show which attracts visitors in large number, the ISKCON temple organises an Animatronics Robot Show. The interesting aspect of this is the clay robots which narrates the teachings of the Bhagavadgita.
Vedic Centre For Performing Arts: ISKCON Temple has an open-air amphitheatre where programmes are held from time to time. Visitors from all over the world come here to showcase their skills and depicts the scenes from various epics of Hinduism.
Mahabharat Experience: Light and Sound show that depicts the story of Mahabharat.
Cost: INR 200
Time Required: 1.5 hours
Bhagavat Puran Exhibit: Exhibition of Bhagavat Puran, the most important scripture for Vaishnava Hindus in a visual format.
World's Largest Sacred Book: The 'Astounding Bhagavad Gita', is the largest printed book around the world with over 800kgs in weight and measuring over 2.8 metres.

Janamashtami at ISKCON

The temple's presiding deity is Lord Krishna, and undoubtedly his birthday or 'Janmashtami' is celebrated here with amazing festivities. Nearly 8 lakh devotees visit the temple during this year to offer their prayers to the Lord. The celebrations begin as early as 4:30 AM. in the morning and continue late into the night. Celebratory processions, prayer services, cultural programs and customary 'Shringar' of the Lord is held on a very large scale.

ISKCON's Own Restaurant- Govinda's

The temple complex has its own restaurant called "Govinda's", which offers a healthy and delicious vegetarian meal to all of its devotees. The timings of the restaurant are from 12:00 PM. to 3:30 PM in the afternoon and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the evening. Coupons have to be purchased in cash.

How to Reach

The ISKCON Temple is located in the East Kailash region on top of the Hare Krishna Hills. The best way is to travel by Metro. The Nehru Place Station and Kailash Colony Station are the nearest metro stations which are a 5-minute walk away from the temple. If you travelling from the Nizamuddin Railway Station, the ISKCON Sant Nagar is just 5 km from there. Taxi, auto rickshaw and public buses run from every part of the city.

Aarti Schedule and Prices at ISKCON

Throughout the day, different types of aartis are performed and the visitors are allowed to attend them for free. Here are the aartis along with the time:

Mangala Aarti: 4:30 AM
Japa (Mantra) Meditation: 5:15 AM
Darshan Aarti: 7:15 AM
Guru Puja: 7:30 AM
Srimad Bhagavatam Discourse: 8:00 AM
Raj Bhog Aarti: 12:30 PM
Usthapana Aarti: 04:15 PM
Sandhya Aarti: 07:00 PM
Bhagavad Gita Discourse: 08:00 PM
Sayana Aarti: 08:30 PM

Tips For Visiting ISKCON Temple

1. Liquor is prohibited inside the temple premises.
2. Remove footwear before entering the temple premises.
3. Since it is a religious place, dress in a conservative manner.
4. Arprit Prasadam is available outside the main temple
5. Visit ISKON Temple can be clubbed with Lotus Temple