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New Vrindaban Palace of Gold
Despite its lavish ornamentation, Krishna might be quite disappointed with this mountain commune's moral composition.New Vrindaban is a Hare Krishna community nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, known in equal parts for its bizarre splendor and its seedy history.
Founded in 1968 by Kirtanananda Swami, a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), New Vrindaban serves as an intentional living commune for Hare Krishna followers. Devotees adhere to the teachings of Sri Krishna, including the preservation and advocacy for cows as holy beings; a special Cow Protection section was established on community grounds. At its peak in the mid-1980s, New Vrindaban was home to almost 400 permanent community members of all ages, though current population estimates measure only 100 residents.
During its boom years, the untrained and unpaid devotees constructed the Palace of Gold, sometimes referred to as "America's Taj Mahal." Though they hardly knew how to lay stones when they started, an estimated $600,000 worth of materials ranging from marble, onyx, teak, and 22-karat gold leaf were formed into the Palace as it appears today, complete with terraces, turrets, manicured lawns, and exquisite stained glass work. The structure stands as a memorial to the founder of ISKCON and opens its doors year round to visitors interested basking in its mirrored ceilings, polished mosaic floors, and beautiful vistas.
So where does a self-sustaining mountainous community find the capital for such undertakings? There's the rub. In 1987, Kirtanananda Swami was indicted on charges of racketeering and fraud. Moreover, the swami has been suspected of murdering a pair of mutinous community members, as well as permitting child abuse and facilitating drug trafficking. Ultimately, the swami pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in 1996 and was sentenced to 20 years in a North Carolina prison. Subsequently, the swami was barred from life from ISKCON and prohibited from returning to his mountain commune upon release.
The remaining residents of New Vrindaban continue to persevere in attempts to rebuild their public image, but have run into fiscal troubles ever since. Most recently the community sold a portion of their land rights to a natural gas company, which raised concerns from outsiders that bodies will be exhumed during the drilling and pipe-laying process due to New Vrindaban's shady history and practice of burying their own dead.
Read more about New Vrindaban Palace of Gold on Atlas Obscura...
Category: Cultures and Civilizations , Rites and Rituals, Commercial Curiosities, Odd Accommodations, Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship, Follies and Grottoes
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Edited by: littlebrumble, Nicholas Jackson, Rachel
