Located on the East Coast Road in the Sholinganallur locality of South-Chennai, ISKCON Temple is the spiritual and cultural hub of the city. This temple in Chennai is not only the biggest Radha Krishna temple in Tamilnadu but one of the biggest ISKCON temples in India.
With the history of the ISKCON temple in Chennai dating back to the late 1970s, the construction of the temple began in the late 1990s and was completed in 2012 in many phases. The temple houses the deity of Lord Krishna, alongside Radharani and their friends Lalita, Lord Chaitanya, Lord Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra inside three teak-wood alters which are one of a kind. These deities are sourced from Rajasthan and Orissa.
Under the guidance of Sri Bhanu Swami, the beautiful architecture is inspired by the Kalinga and Pallava kingdoms’ architecture. At the entrance of the temple, one would see the wonderful design of various Hindu universes on the marble flooring. The various universes are circled a central pillar called Mount Meru. The design is implicated from the ancient Vedic Puranas where Mount Meru is described as the centre of all the universes.
The temple is a blend of various cultures with modern scientific technology. To attract more and more people in the ISKCON movement, the authorities of the temples organize lectures and audio-visual programs about the Hindu philosophy.
Spread over an area of 1.5 acres, the ISKCON temple or the Hare Rama Hare Krishna temple is built on five floors.