In 1965, at the advanced age of 69, on the order of his spiritual master, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left the holy land of Vrindavan, India, to spread Lord Krishna's message in the West. He arrived in Boston by freight ship, carrying $7 in change and a trunk of books about Krishna.

For the first year he struggled alone, booking speaking engagements at yoga studios, YMCAs, and bohemian artists' lofts, while living in the homes of people he met who sympathized with his cause and would give him temporary residence. He would often take a small bongo drum and sit under a tree in a public park to chant the holy names of Krishna. Curious onlookers would gather. Some joined in the chanting. Some began to take an active interest in his mission.

By 1966 Srila Prabhupada was living in New York City, in Manhattan's impoverished Lower East Side, and had begun regular weekly lectures on Bhagavad-gita, along with public chanting sessions, kirtan, in Tompkins Square Park. That same year, he incorporated ISKCON in New York City, envisioning that soon there would be centers around the world.

From 1966 to 1968, as more and more spiritual seekers became attracted to Krishna consciousness, he opened ISKCON temples in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Famous ISKCON Temples in North America

Dallas - Radha Kalajanji Temple

The first group of devotees came to Dallas, Texas in 1970 and established a preaching center at 5108 Mission Street.

In the spring of 1971, the devotees moved the center to Turtle Creek, a more fashionable district of Dallas and rented a small building for a few months. Finally in late 1971 they bought a former church property at the corner of Gurley Avenue and Graham Street in a residential section of East Dallas.

The purchase of this property was with the idea of starting a gurukula.. And so, with the approval of Srila Prabhupada, the ISKCON Governing Body Commission at that time bought the former church property for ISKCON.

More information and picture Gallery is on  http://www.radhakalachandji.com/

Rukmini Dwarakadhisha Temple in Los Angeles

The appearance of the Rukmini-Dvarkadish Deities in Los Angeles Temple goes back to this time, and the story of Their arrival in New Dvarka may not be known to everyone. They were, in fact, originally to be installed in San Francisco Temple. No temple in the West, or perhaps anywhere in ISKCON at that time, had full-sized marble Deities.

The installation ceremony in Los Angeles Mandir was gorgeous. Some years later, the new temple room was opened in what had been the main church area before ISKCON purchased it. Rukmini-Dvarkadish were transferred there, and remain to this day; growing ever more beautiful as They are wonderfully served and worshipped by Their devotees.

More information and picture Gallery is on  http://harekrishnala.com/

New Vrindavan temple and Golden Palace

New Vrindaban is an unincorporated town and ISKCON (Hare Krishna) intentional community located in Marshall County near Moundsville, West Virginia. The town consists of 1,204 acres (4.87 km2)  and several building complexes, homes, apartment buildings, and businesses including the Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra Temple  and the Palace of Gold.

New Vrindaban was founded in 1968 by Kirtanananda Swami. New Vrindaban is named after the Indian city of Vrindavan. The religious organization, ISKCON New Mathura Vrindaban, was expelled from ISKCON in 1988, but was readmitted 10 years later.

More information and picture Gallery is on http://newvrindaban.com/