New Temple for Sedona, AZ

“If you call yourselves Americans, then you should do something wonderful for Krishna,” was a challenge that Srila Prabhupada put before his young American disciples to encourage them to think of spreading Krishna consciousness in big ways. With all the large Iskcon projects completed and underway in India, America seems to be left in the dust (sacred nontheless), seemingly struggling in most cases of trying to maintain temples, with a lack of laxmi and devotees, projects which were started more than 30 years ago!

“America needs one very big project to come about to raise the hope and enthusiasm of the Vaishnavas in America, and I think that this may be the one,” says Sripad Bhakti Swarup Damodar Swami, referring to the Sedona Center of Vedic Culture, which is now well underway in the planning stages, with groundbreaking ceremonies expected to begin in the early part of 2006.

Located in Arizona, Sedona is known world wide as the “New Age” capital of the world, and receives more visitors per year than the Grand Canyon, a recorded 4 1/2 million tourists per year. “If this place was in India, there would be hundreds of temples and ashrams adorning the truly unique landscape of Sedona,” says Trikalajna das, who is the managing director of the project, and who was the director of the Glory of India Iskcon project in New Delhi during the years of it’s construction. He is only one among an impressive group of Vaishnavas who make up the project’s Board of Directors.

“One of America’s most renowned Vedic temple architects, Mr. Sashi Patel, has also joined the team, and an artists conception of the entire layout of the Cultural Center, rendered by Vaibhavi devi dasi, who designed and built the famous Krishna temple in Provo, Utah, along with her husband Caru das, is almost completed. It will then be posted on the project website, sedonavedicculture.com.

“Although the project will not be officially operating under the name of Iskcon, it will be structured and based on Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and vision, and will be “Iskcon friendly.” We hope that the world-wide body of Vaishnavas and Prabhupada anugas will join us to help this divine creation become manifest. Your comments and questions are humbly invited. Jai Jagannath!”