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Almost Heaven

Almost Heaven Photo Essay .................... photographs by Aaron Blum The New Vrindaban is a Krishna community in the hills of Appalachia, the vision of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder and spiritual leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The New Vrindaban in West Virginia is the realization of Prabhupada's dream to establish a holy pilgrimage site in North America. It was conceived to echo Vrindavan, India, which is where, according to many Hindu religions, Krishna took human form. The devotees of the Krishna faith understand it to be the equivalent of Heaven on Earth. I began photographing the New Vrindaban community in order to explore a part of my home in Appalachia that was unfamiliar to me. Through many visits, conversations, and experiences, I found a multinational group living together in an attempt to create a utopian society based in the Krishna Consciousness ideals. Some of the residents are simply passing through on a spiritual quest and some have been there for decades, completely devoted to the community and upkeep of the grounds, which have become an extravagant memorial to their spiritual leader Prabhupada. Not all of the residents at New Vrindaban are transplants from distant locations; http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Southern Cultures University of North Carolina Press

Almost Heaven

Southern Cultures , Volume 23 (1) – Apr 16, 2017

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Publisher
University of North Carolina Press
Copyright
Copyright © Center for the Study of the American South.
ISSN
1534-1488
Publisher site
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Abstract

Photo Essay .................... photographs by Aaron Blum The New Vrindaban is a Krishna community in the hills of Appalachia, the vision of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder and spiritual leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The New Vrindaban in West Virginia is the realization of Prabhupada's dream to establish a holy pilgrimage site in North America. It was conceived to echo Vrindavan, India, which is where, according to many Hindu religions, Krishna took human form. The devotees of the Krishna faith understand it to be the equivalent of Heaven on Earth. I began photographing the New Vrindaban community in order to explore a part of my home in Appalachia that was unfamiliar to me. Through many visits, conversations, and experiences, I found a multinational group living together in an attempt to create a utopian society based in the Krishna Consciousness ideals. Some of the residents are simply passing through on a spiritual quest and some have been there for decades, completely devoted to the community and upkeep of the grounds, which have become an extravagant memorial to their spiritual leader Prabhupada. Not all of the residents at New Vrindaban are transplants from distant locations;

Journal

Southern CulturesUniversity of North Carolina Press

Published: Apr 16, 2017

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