South America
ISKCON Argentina I ISKCON Bolivia I ISKCON Brazil I ISKCON Chile I ISKCON Columbia I ISKCON Ecuador I ISKCON Guayana I ISKCON Paraguay I ISKCON Peru
Chronological History of the Hare Krishna Movement
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) commonly known in the West as the Hare Krishna Movement comes in a tradition that traces all the way back to Lord Krishna Himself. ISKCON was founded in New York in 1966 by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977). At 69 years old, Srila Prabhupada arrived in Boston in 1965. By 1966 he was living in New York City and had developed a following.
From 1966 to 1968, temples were established in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The first Ratha-yatra outside of India was held in San Francisco and began an annual ISKCON tradition in more than 20 major cities around the world. From 1971 to 1973, temples opened in Europe, Canada, South America, Mexico, London, Africa, and India. In 1970, the Governing Body Commission, ISKCON?? international managerial body, was established to oversee the Society, which had grown to close to one hundred temples, schools, restaurants, and farm communities.
From 1970 to 1977, ISKCON built major centers at the pilgrimage sites of Mayapur and Vrindavana, India, and a large temple in Bombay. In 1972, Srila Prabhupada founded the publishing house Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT), now the world?? largest publisher of books on Bhakti yoga. Krishna.com is sponsored and maintained by the BBT.
From 1974 to the present, ISKCON Food for Life has run food relief programs in dozens of cities around the world. In November 1977, Srila Prabhupada passed from this world. ISKCON had 108 temples and more than 10,000 followers.