A Brief Analysis of ISKCON Temple Design
This is the third post in my series on Building a Krishna Conscious "Mega Church". Part 1 can be found here, and Part 2 can be found here.
A Brief Analysis of ISKCON Temple Design
Let's look now at ISKCON temple design.
Any discussion of the form of a temple design obviously requires a discussion of the function of an ISKCON temple, because one implies the other.
Let me just do two things here.
First of all, if you read anything on the Internet, you'll have read people complaining that ISKCON temples today are filled with expatriate and descendent Indian congregations, and have very few people from the native population of the host country. True? Anecdotally, and from my observation also.
Part of this may be due to the design of the temple. Allow me a flight of fantasy here. The envisioned functionality of the temple is: "Let's make something that looks really Vedic", where Vedic means Indian. In the 70s, when teenagers and youths were looking for something exotic and Indian, having the most authentic Indian-looking temple was the most effective way to attract them. In the 21st century when authentic Indian is no longer such a strong draw card, that form remains attractive to expatriate and culturally Indian persons.
In support of this idea, my second thing. Let me tell a story. It comes from, by memory, Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita. Someone may be able to provide the reference.
The devotees bought Watseka Ave, the site of the LA temple. Previously it was a church. Srila Prabhupada told the devotees to leave the chairs in to allow visitors to sit comfortably and hear lectures on Krishna Consciousness. After this he left and continued travelling. When he next returned to Watseka Ave he found the devotees had actually ripped out all the chairs and laid down a marble floor, to make a bona-fide "Vedic" (read: Indian) temple. Srila Prabhupada was very displeased with this.
The relationship between the two? A disparity in envisioned functionality of the facility, and hence emergent form. The devotees wanted the facility to fulfill the function of "bona-fide Indian experience". Srila Prabhupada wanted it to perform the function of "effective outreach facility".
The replication of this approach to functionality and form, that the form of the temple should serve the functionality of being more authentically Indian, has lead to the standard ISKCON temple form... which functions today to attract large Indian congregations and not many Westerners.
Rather than catalog a list of "all the things that are wrong" with ISKCON temple designs, I am going to go back to basics, and examine functionality first, then work forward to envision the form that follows that functionality.
- sitapati's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Good points
I cant wait till the idea that this is an "Indian" movement and Indian is more bonafide. Indian food, Indian clothes, Indian buildings. The concept that "Veda" and "Vedic" means any thing apart from Knowledge is counter productive.
I always like to point out that in the "Vedic" times of the speaking of the Bhagavad Gita India was 100's of countries and the world was supposed to be Barat Varsa. So if the world was involved in a fight that Had Krsna and Arjuna then were talking 1000's of cultures.
Thats 1000's of types of food, marriage rituals, clothing, political systems etc etc
The idea that I need to be more Indian (which is a very young culture this post amalgamation post English post Mogul India) is painful. India obviously does not display a Knowledge based culture at the moment so its in no way more "Vedic"
Great post. I'm new KC and
Great post.
I'm new KC and the Melbourne Temple. The huge number of Indians and lack of local non-indians can be quite off putting. i'm not against indians, that's ridiculous, it's just that you can feel out of place being a local aussie interested in KC and not knowing much. I want to find out more and feel embraced but the culture shock it really hard. There's no one to greet and show you around and slowly introduce you. It's too much of a culture shock. It's easily understood by Indians, it's their culture. But what about the young aussie crowd?? We feel left out.
hare krsna
ISKCON,,Hare krsna ,,movement is the great movement and it is benefit for all those who wants to be really happy in their life, it is not the question that you are Indian or not,,its for everyone ,just you need to chant "Hare krishna ",,and you will feel the bliss ,,it can be nervous feeling when you join initially but once you are in, you will enjoy the bliss for sure,,if you are feeling left alone and if you are new then you can talk to any devotees around and surely they will help you,,,one of the most important gifts of iskcon movement is that it gives you Best friends ,,and real friendship ,,,the friends (devotees ),,they really help,,,ISKCON is great gift one must take advantage of it and chant hare krsna,,,,,jai srila prabhupada!