The Temple

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ISKCON Saranagati

The Saranagati Temple is a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), connecting us to a global community of devotees.

Nestled in the heart of Saranagati Village, we strive to serve and enrich our local community through spiritual practice, education, and compassionate service.

The home of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai

The two Lords, Gaura and Nitai, are also known as Chaitanya and Nityananda.
We learn from the Chaitanya-Charitamrita and other Vedic scriptures that, in a special appearance more than 500 years ago, Krishna personally came as Lord Chaitanya and acted as His own devotee. Lord Nityananda appeared at a similar time and is declared to be the avatar of Krishna’s brother, Balaram.
Krishna taught Bhagavad-gita to liberate all souls, and He returned as Lord Chaitanya to show us how to apply the Gita’s teachings and how to attain pure love of God by the easy process of chanting Krishna’s holy names in the form of the maha-mantra.
- Flowers
- Dry Goods (Rice, Dahl, Sugar, Nuts)
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Milk, Butter and Ghee
DO NOT BRING:
- Chapati Flour ^^
- Bananas ^^
- Cooked Items
- Sweets
^^ We cannot process it.
The Saranagati Temple is striving to…
- Facilitate deep immersion into the teachings and practices of Krishna consciousness, especially chanting Hare Krishna, as taught by Srila Prabhupada.
- Support its members in their devotional service and in their individual inspiration.
- Provide opportunities for experiencing the simple living and high thinking rural lifestyle of Saranagati Village.
- Maintain an encouraging, intimate, peaceful, and safe atmosphere for all ages.

Activities

Congregational gatherings

Weekly Sunday Feasts

Every week, from 5:30pm to 8:00pm, we invite everyone to an evening of dancing, chanting and feasting… and also some philosophical discourses.

Yearly Festivals

We celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition through vibrant festivals, bringing our community together in joy and devotion.

Educational initiatives

Classes

We offer different types of classes both online and in-person. Although our in-person classes are mainly offered to residents and guests of the Saranagati Village, we have many online educational opportunities. Please see the front page for the current classes we are offering.

Outreach

We distribute books on the streets, from door to door and also at our temple’s book table.
We also go in public and share the Hare Krishna mantra by chanting it loudly. We call this simple, but sublime, activity Harinam Sankirtan.

Operational Framework

The Saranagati Temple is striving to…
- Facilitate deep immersion into the teachings and practices of Krishna consciousness, especially chanting Hare Krishna, as taught by Srila Prabhupada.
- Support its members in their devotional service and in their individual inspiration.
- Provide opportunities for experiencing the simple living and high thinking rural lifestyle of Saranagati Village.
- Maintain an encouraging, intimate, peaceful, and safe atmosphere for all ages.
Quarterly assemblies to…
- Report activities and finances
- Plan future activities, checking for impacts on other activities
- Propose a budget for the upcoming quarter and beyond
- Analyze emerging opportunities and challenges, and recommend actionable solutions.
If you would like to attend or stay informed of these assemblies, please contact us.
(Brihat Mridanga das, Damodar Gopal das & Nandini devi dasi)
Oversees the overall management and drives progress towards achieving the temple’s strategic goals
Key duties include:
- Report to the Directors annually, and advise Directors of any significant incident.
- Ensuring the temple's activities align with its core values and mission
- Overseeing temple operations, including finances, maintenance, and events
- Proposing changes to the temple policy manual for the Directors’ approval.
- Making decisions that align with temple policies, procedures, and long-term planning
- Ensuring the temple's activities are inclusive, respectful, and beneficial to the community
- Collaborating with temple department heads, volunteers, staff, and external partners to achieve the temple's goals
(Bhaktimarga Swami, Uttama devi dasi, Hari Kirtan das, Nitai Ram das & Jai Govinda das)
Provide strategic leadership and oversight to the temple.
Key responsibilities include:
- In collaboration with the Executive Council and stakeholders, setting the temple's vision, mission, and strategic direction.
- Reviewing, questioning and approving the financial reports, budgets, and resource allocations created by the Executive Council.
- Ensuring compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and governance standards.
- Receiving significant incident reports and advising on the resolution of complex situations.
- Periodically review the temple policy manual drafted by the Executive Council, as per the manual’s guidelines.