The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) includes five hundred major centers, temples and rural communities, nearly one hundred affiliated vegetarian satvik restaurants, thousands of namahattas or local meeting groups, a wide variety of community projects and millions of congregational members worldwide. With more than fifty years on the global stage, ISKCON has expanded widely since its founding by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda in New York City in the year 1966.
ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradāya, a monotheistic tradition within the Vedic or Hindu culture. Philosophically, it is based on the scriptures Bhagavad-Gītā and Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavat Purana). These are the historic texts of the devotional bhakti yoga tradition, which teaches that the ultimate goal for all living beings is to reawaken one’s love for God – Lord Krishna, the “all-attractive one”.
Read MoreA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), the founder of ISKCON, was born in Kolkatta, India under the given name, Abhay Charan De. He is widely regarded as the foremost Vedic scholar, translator, and teacher of the modern era. He is especially respected as the world’s most prominent contemporary authority on Bhakti-Yoga, devotional service to the Supreme Person, Krishna, as taught by the ancient Vedic writings of India.
He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent religious scholar and the founder of sixty-four Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes) in India, liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge. Srila Prabhupada became his student and in 1933, his formally initiated disciple. Upon initiation, Prabhupada began preaching the topic of Vaishnavism.
Read MoreISKCON Visakhapatnam, is bordered on three sides by the serene stillness of verdant hills and over-looking the calm blue water of Bay of Bengal. It is situated just a little distance away from the hustle & bustle of the city through the scenic road that hugs the Coast line.
Read MoreMay 1999, an ISKCON devotee couple, Sri Samba Das and his wife Nitaisevini dd reached Visakhapatnam to start an ISKCON centre here simply on directive from their Guru. With no backing, no funds to speak of . They started from absolute scratch armed only with a laminated photo of Radha Krishna and five thousand rupees worth of Srila Prabhupad books but burning with a towering ambition to build a grand temple complex for Krishna, a project they fondly named “Glory of Andhra”. They embarked on the sanctified mission conducting various programs to spiritually uplift the masses.
Read MoreSrila Prabhupada visited Simhachalam during his stay at Visakhapatnam. The following is an excerpt from Srila Prabhupada lilamrita. “One day Srila Prabhupada took his disciples to see a famous temple of Lord Narasimha, Sri Simhachalam, on top of a hill about five miles north of Visakhapatnam. Thousands of stone steps led up the hill to the temple, which was situated in a natural amphitheater on the side of the hill.
Read MoreISKCON Vizag is located at Hare Krishna land, Sagar Nagar, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The Deities of Sri Sri Radha Damodar , Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra are installed in a spacious hall. Adjacent is the Prasadam hall , Mechanized kitchen for Annadanam, Children Park, Free Homeopathy Clinic and Brahmachari Ashram.
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