Abbreviation | ISKCON |
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Formation | 13 July 1966New York City, United States |
Founder | A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada |
Type | Religious organization |
Legal status | Foundation |
Headquarters | Mayapur, Nabadwip, Nadia, West Bengal, India |
Location |
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Coordinates | 23°25′29″N 88°23′20″E / 23.4248°N 88.3889°E |
Area served | Worldwide |
Main organ | Governing Body Commission |
Affiliations | Gaudiya Vaishnavism (Hinduism) |
Website | www |
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Vaishnavism |
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The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.[2] Its main headquarter is located in Mayapur, West Bengal, India. It claims around 1 million members worldwide.[3]
It is a unique form of monotheistic Hindu denomination in which the core beliefs are based on Hindu scriptures, particularly Prabhupada's commentary and translation of the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata Purana. ISKCON is "the largest and, arguably, most important branch" of Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition,[4] which has had adherents in India since the early 16th century and its American and European and African devotees since the mid and late 20th century.[5]
The religious organization practices lacto-vegetarianism and was initially formed to spread the practice of bhakti yoga. Its followers, called bhaktas, dedicate both their thoughts and actions towards pleasing Krishna, whom they consider the Supreme Personality of Godhead[6] Its most rapid expansion in registered membership has been within India and (after the collapse of the Soviet Union) in Russia and other formerly Soviet-aligned states of Eastern Europe.[7]
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