On February 19, the West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC) will host Henry Doktorski for a personal account and inside look at the history of West Virginia’s Hare Krishna community, New Vrindaban, in Marshall County. New Vrindaban is widely known as the home of the Palace of Gold, a popular tourist attraction.
Crowd in front of the Palace of Gold.
The WVRHC invites the West Virginia University community and the public to attend this presentation on Thursday, February 19 at 4 p.m. in the Milano Reading Room of the Downtown Library for an evening of stories and history about the New Vrindaban West Virginia Hare Krishna Community. Dr. Alex Snow of WVU's Religious Studies Program will introduce the concept of krishna consciousness before Doktorski's presentation.
Doktorski, as a young man, served for 15 years as a devotee-resident at New Vrindaban where he studied Bhakti Yoga under the direction of its founder, the ISKCON guru Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada (1937-2011). Doktorski is the author of thirteen nonfiction books of Hare Krishna history, much of which is based on materials in the Swami Bhaktipada and New Vrindaban archives at the History Center.
Henry Doktorski.
While under the leadership of its founder Bhaktipada Swami, New Vrindaban was the source of many controversies. The Swami Bhaktipada and New Vrindaban archives at the History Center houses legal records from multiple criminal and civil cases, as well as records which provide insight into daily life in the commune, such as committee meeting minutes and behavioral guidelines for devotees.
Crowned Bhaktipada.
For more information or to make an appointment to see the collection in person, go to wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/visit or online at archives.lib.wvu.edu/repositories/2/resources/7046.