ISKCON Temple - Chennai

My US friend had come to India for vacation, and he called me up last week.

"Do you know about the ISKCON temple?"

"Yep, why not? Don't ask such silly questions to a serious traveler like me. Which ISKCON temple you want to know about? The one in Delhi or the one at Bangalore? Even Vrindavan and West Bengal have ISKCON temples. Which one do you want to know about? I will guide."

"My dear proud traveler friend! I don't want to know about those temples. I know about them very well, and I have been there. Please give me some information about the temple in Chennai."

"ISKCON temple in Chennai? Come on, man! Don't make fun of me."

"I am not....you are making fun of yourself by calling yourself a serious traveler. Goodbye."

After this conversation and a sleepless night, I explored and found out the ISKCON temple in Chennai.

ISKCON temple is located in the most happening place - ECR (East Coast Road) in Chennai. VGP Golden beach is one of the most famous landmarks in Chennai. After one and half kilometers from Golden beach, you can find a big ISKCON board on the right side of ECR. Enter into that lane, and you will reach the temple after about 500-600 meters. The name of the area is Injambakkam, and it is a suburb of Chennai. From the Chennai railway station, the distance of the temple is around 24 km.

ISKCON (The International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temples are built and maintained by the Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement. The movement is prevalent in the USA and India. In India alone, there are around 40 ISKCON temples. All the ISKCON temples are dedicated to Lord Krishna, and they are famous for their elegance and beautiful paintings.

When writing this article (2009 CE), the first phase of the ISKCON temple in Chennai is under construction. Currently, there is a small hall where the idols of Lord Krishna and Radha are kept. Bhajans and poojas are happening regularly. Once the construction of the huge temple is completed, I am sure this will become one of Chennai's landmarks.

I visited the temple in 2016 again. As I predicted correctly, it has become a landmark by now. It was opened in 2012 CE. The temple is built on 1.5 acres of land. 

This most spectacular temple has three shrines. The central shrine enshrines Radha and Krishna, along with their friends Lalita and Vishaka. The other shrine has Baladev, Subhadra and Krishna's idols, and they are similar to that of Puri Jagannath temple. The last shrine has the idols of Chaitanya and Nityananda.

Happy travelling.

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