The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organisation.
ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who is worshipped by followers as Guru and spiritual master.
Its core beliefs are based on select traditional scriptures, particularly the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
ISKCON is a direct descendant of Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya.
The appearance of the movement and its culture come from the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which has had adherents in India since the late 15th century and American and European converts since the early 1900s in North America,and in England in the 1930s. In West Virginia, the Praphupada’s Palace of Gold, built to be a home for Swami, is now a shrine for the founder, who died in 1977.
ISKCON was formed to spread the practice of bhakti yoga, in which those involved (bhaktas) dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Supreme Lord, Krishna.
ISKCON as of 2017 is a worldwide confederation of more than 850 temples and centres, including 60 farm communities, some aiming for self-sufficiency, 50 schools, and 90 restaurants.
Its most rapid expansions as in membership as of 2007 have been within India and, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe.
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