Vedic realm

Celebrating 29 years of singing and dancing

SRI SRI RADHA RADHANATH KI JAI !!!

The Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple of Understanding places the bustling suburb of Chatsworth on the map as a tourist destination. Situated approximately 15km from Durban International airport and 20km from Durban City Centre, its three collosal domes of white and gold rises above a dazzling octagonal roof. The temple has been acclaimed as an architectural masterpiece – a spiritual wonderland. Although, designed and constructed in the 1980's, it's design is a combination of the traditional, contemporary and futuristic; and simultaneously a fusion of concepts showcasing "east meets west". The ancient "vasta purusha mandala" formula is imbibed in its geometrical lay-out with shapes such as circles, trianles, squares and octagons, holding great spiritual symbolism and philosophical meaning enhanced by its unique setting in the midst of a moat of water and water features, surrounded by a sprawling luscious lotus shaped garden.

In 1975 His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (the founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness-ISKCON), upon his one and only visit to South Africa, instructed his disciples that a temple be built in the heart of Chatsworth. Taking this instruction very seriously, a dedicated team of devotees worked tirelessly and in the face of many formidable challenges, including the reigning government's apartheid policies. With a deep desire to fulfill their spiritual master's order, the devotees peservered and sought out the best materials for use in the construction. Marble tiles where shipped in from Portugal and oakwood from Japan. Devotees formed their own construction company and used their talents and expertise to make the design a reality, engaging in every aspect of construction – from excavation, brick-laying, plastering, tiling, painting to mirrorwork, intricate carvings and gold-leafing. A team of devotees crossed the length and breadth of South Africa to collect funds for the construction. Finally, the resilient team were successful when the doors of the Hare Krishna Temple were officially opened to the public on 17 October 1985.

It has earned the reputation of being the most beautiful temple on the African continent. Little wonder that over 2,5 million guests pass through its doors each year. It has also become renowned for the sumptuous vegetarian served at the ground floor, Govinda's restaurant and take-away.

The Temple worship commences at 4.30am every morning and ends at 8.45pm nightly. There are eight aratika ceremonies and offerings presented to the presiding deities, Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Radhanath, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Giriraj Govardhan each day. Every Sunday afternoon, commencing at 4pm a special progamme is held consisting of aratika, guru-puja, discourse from Bhagavad-gita As It Is, questions and answers, cultural entertainment followed by a traditional ISKCON love feast. This practice is followed in all ISKCON centers around the world to enforce that no person should go hungry within a radius of 10km from the Temple.

Following through with the distribution of prasadam (sanctified food) ISKCON prides itself in distributing meals to the underpriveledged on a daily basis. The Food For Life program has been in existence for over 20 years and have satisfied millions of hungry stomachs thus far.

The Temple upholds the seven principles of ISKCON of which book distribution is fundamental. Further, an internationally recognized Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture was conceived and inaugurated at this temple in 1991 and currently has over 1000 registered students formally pursuing an in-depth study and analysis of Vedic literature.

The Vaisnava calendar with all its festivals are observed with great pomp and splendour, the most prominent of which is Sri Krishna Janmastami (Appearance of Lord Sri Krishna) were over 10 000 guests converge upon the temple to offer worship, participate in abhishek ceremonies, enjoy the cultural entertainment programme and relish Krishna prasadam.

And of course ISKCON KwaZulu-Natal is renowned worldwide for hosting the biggest Ratha-yatra (Festival of Chariots) outside of India. Annually over Easter weekend Lord Jagannath's chariots take to the streets of Durban, followed by thousands of devotees and onlookers, finally reaching the tent city that has been erected for the ensuing days of the festival, showcasing Vedic culture in all its various forms.

The Sri Sri Radhanatha Temple of Understanding is remains a spiritual oasis, a retreat for those wanting to understand their purpose in life, a sanctuary from material chaos and a haven to society.

Entrance is open to all and admission is free to the temple and its festivals. For directions to the temple (50 Bhaktivedanta Swami Circle, Chatsworth) or to book a guided tour email iskcon.durban@pamho.net or telephone (+27)31- 4033328. visit website at iskcondurban.net