Prabhupada's Palace of Gold
Originally intended in 1972 to be a residence for A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977), the Founder/Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the plans evolved after Prabhupada's death in November 1977 for an ornate palace of marble, gold and carved teakwood, which was dedicated as a memorial shrine on September 2, 1979. Kirtanananda Swami (the leader of the New Vrindaban Community) and Bhagavatananda das (the community's principal architect and sculptor) were the two primary forces behind its design and construction.
It reportedly cost $600,000 in materials, and the labor was donated by the devotees. The unpaid workers were often untrained and learned on the job.
Kirtanananda explained, "In the beginning, we didn't even know how to lay blocks. As our Krishna consciousness developed, our building skills developed, then our creativity developed, and the scope of the project developed."
The Palace of Gold opened in 1979 to positive reviews. CBS PM Magazine reported, "the magnificence of the Palace of Gold would be hard to exaggerate." Life magazine called the Palace "a place where tourists can come and be amazed." The New York Times proclaimed "Welcome to Heaven." The Washington Post called the Palace "Almost Heaven." The Courier-Journal of Louisville stated, "It's hard to believe that Prabhupada's Palace is in West Virginia. In fact, it's hard to believe it's on this planet."
Since the early 1990s lack of sufficient financial resources has caused palace maintenance to be neglected; nevertheless, 50,000 tourists and Hindu pilgrims reportedly still visit each year.
As of mid-2011 an ambitious five-year, 4.27 million-dollar restoration effort has been underway to restore and renew the Palace.
Read more about this topic: New Vrindaban
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