After months under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some ISKCON temples around the world are gradually starting to reopen in phases, with safety restrictions in place according to their local government recommendations.
“Krishna Valley is not just for us to realize Srila Prabhupada’s vision of simple living, high thinking, but to show others that it’s accessible, and teach them how they can also live naturally while keeping God in the center, ” says Communications director Gandharvika Prema Dasi.
Dovetailing the fall pumpkin obsession in a Krishna conscious way, devotees drew 300 tourists to New Vrajadhama for their autumn Pumpkin Festival on October 14th. On this day the temple and altar were decorated with beautifully painted pumpkins inscribed with lotus designs and the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
The event showed how far ISKCON farms have come in networking and working together particularly over the last decade, with conferences now regularly organized in four continents by the GBC Ministry of Agriculture and Cow Protection. Because the ISKCON Farm Conference began in Europe in 2008, however, the 10th anniversary event focused on European farms.
A video by Kunjabihari Dasi.
Krishna-valley, Hungary, is one of the main cow-protection centers in Europe. This video by Kunjabihari Dasi captures the happy moments when the cows are let out to graze on the fields for the first time, after a long cold winter.
New Vraja Dhama is a self-sustainable Krishna-community in the heart of Hungary. Its beauty is marveled by the tens of tousands of guests who visit there yearly to relax and to learn about "simple living - high thinking." A video by Kunjabihari Dasi.
Music by Shaun Taylor McManus - Last Memory
Govardhana Puja – the sweetest day of the year – celebrates the day when Lord Krishna as a young boy lifted Govardhana Hill with just His little finger, to protect the residents of Vrindavana village from Lord Indra’s furious thunderstorm. Devotees around the world pour their hearts into their own offerings for the late October festival, engaging their creativity in Krishna’s service to often astonishing effect.
As part of the ISKCON50 program series, Vaishnavas in Hungary organized a two-day national book distribution event, taking place at different locations of the country. Devotees who had never distributed books before, or had not taken part in sankirtana for a long time were also involved. During the two days, 36 participants from the farm sold 619 books, while the 195 devotees on the streets of Budapest distributed 2,650 books.
A video by Ananta Vrindavan.
Krishna-valley in Somogyvamos, Hungary is one of the fastest growing villages in the area. In the past two decades, due to the hard work of the devotees, the 275 hectars of land has become Europe’s largest eco-village. There are 50 children living in Krishna-valley, who, by know, outgrew the original school building. Therefore it was time to build a new building, which, with its 200 square meters, 3 classrooms, big communal space could accommodate an additional 48 students.
To spread awareness of the importance of cows for a peaceful society, the devotees at New Vraja Dham organise a special festival every spring to celebrate the first grazing of the cows after a cold winter.
It is an age-old custom in Europe that people say goodbye to the cold and dark winter and welcome spring in a celebratory way, singing, dancing, and dressed up in colorful costumes. The students of Krishna-valley and the Budapest Gurukula’s nursery schools did not want to miss out on the fun, so they also put up their own show, -- while at the same time kicking off ISKCON's 50th Anniversary year.
A short video of "outsider" people trying out the Hare Krishna lifestyle for a weekend in Krishna-valley Indian Cultural Center and Ecofarm, Hungary. (Text in Hungarian.)
On September 18th a special art exhibition opened at the Cultural Center of the Indian Embassy in Budapest, Hungary. The “Blossoming of Vedic Life in Rural Hungary” exhibition displays over 40 original drawings from ISKCON-guru and author Sivarama Swami’s new book the Nava Vraja Mahima, a monumental work in glorification of New Vraja Dhama (or Krishna-valley), a rural Vaishnava community in Hungary.
New Vraja Dhama, or Krishna Valley as it is also known, is a 250 hectare self-sufficient Hare Krishna farm community in Hungary. This 30 minute film by Barnaby Booth explores the experiences of different devotees living in and visiting the community.
The cul-de-sac village of Somogyvamos, Hungary, inhabited by a thousand people sets a very good example of cooperation: Hungarians of diverse religious and social backgrounds, Romas (commonly known as gypsies) and Hare Krishnas, putting aside all their differences and focusing on finding common grounds, have been working harmoniously together for over 20 years.
Sadhana Lila pop-rock singer was inspired by her visit in Krishna Valley, Hungary, and as a result of that she wrote a song about her spiritual quest.
New Vraja Dhama, or Krishna Valley as it is also known, is a 250 Hectare self-sufficient Hare Krishna farm community in Hungary. This 30 minute film explores the experiences of different devotees living in and visiting the community.
Devotees from ISKCON Hungary’s Krishna Valley presented their rural community’s activities at Budapest’s annual Tourism and Travel Expo this year, in an effort to further promote the already very popular tourist attraction.
Two devotees from ISKCON Hungary’s non-profit Eco-Valley Foundation (EVF) attended the COP16 Climate Summit in Cancun, Mexico from November 29th to December 10th this winter.