ISKCON Dublin Hare Krishna Temple

Article: ISKCON Dublin: A Temple For Devotees, by Devotees

2009-04-25T12:22:00.002+01:00

By Madhava Smullen on 4 Apr 2009

This year sees a brand new ISKCON center open in Dublin, Ireland, with a packed house expected on its April 5th Open Day. But for Irish devotees, the path to the present victory wasn’t an easy one.

In the early years, although ISKCON owned two temples in Northern Ireland – the famous Govindadwipa island in Fermanagh and Radha-Madhava’s home in Belfast – devotees resorted to renting rather than buying in Dublin because, at the time, property there was so plentiful and rent so cheap. But when Ireland’s “Celtic Tiger” economy boomed, sending Dublin property prices and rent through the roof, devotees found themselves homeless. Time went by, ISKCON’s presence in Dublin faded, and property became a more and more distant dream.

But in a rural ISKCON community in County Wicklow, a few hours drive from Dublin, the beginnings of new hope were born. Husband and wife team Pragosh Dasa and Goloka Dasi, who were running their own café there with some success, suggested to the then GBC Sivarama Swami, “Why don’t we move to Dublin and run a restaurant for ISKCON?” Govinda’s of Aungier’s St was opened, and Pragosh and Goloka planned to open a temple above it. With rent prices still sky-high, however, it was not yet to be. A series of small Sunday programs were held, but the central problem remained: There was still no ISKCON temple in the Republic of Ireland.

Govindadwipa temple president Manu Dasa, who had previously managed Dublin temples and was a Dubliner himself, was determined for this situation to change. Others also expressed a strong desire for a Dublin temple. One was ISKCON youth Janmastami Dasa, who had lived and gone to school in a regular secular society as a child, but loved the people, chanting and food at the temple and always looked forward to his visits there. So when devotees lost their last Dublin temple over a decade ago, it came as quite a jolt.

“In the 1970s, to get the attention of George Harrison and the Beatles, devotees sent them a pie every week, and then suddenly stopped,” Janmastami says. “Immediately, the Beatles contacted them and asked, ‘Where are our pies?’ It was kind of like that with me and the Dublin temples.”

Janmastami thought about how all his life, he had enjoyed the benefits of a temple and its community without any effort on his part. He decided it was time to pay back his gift.

He took his first step when he showed interest in helping organize Dublin Rathayatra festivals, which had also died years ago. Manu Dasa, always enthusiastic and eager for youthful involvement, encouraged him. “Manu inspired me a lot because like me, he also had to juggle a lot of responsibilities,” says Janmastami, who now lives with his fiancée Vraja-Lila and runs his own hypnotherapy clinic. “Lots of devotees work in ISKCON full-time, and they are wonderful people that I look up to. But Manu did more than that. He ran his own business, took care of his family, donated money to ISKCON, and managed Govindadwipa. So he’s my example of how although it’s very difficult, it can be done.”

After organizing his first Rathayatra, for which he had to take on administrative tasks such as signing checks, fundraising and meeting with government officials, Janmastami found himself as more than just an outside supporter. At nineteen years old, he had now taken an active managerial role in ISKCON.

Meanwhile, Govinda’s restaurant had proved a success, and Pragosh, now the GBC for Ireland, opened a second on Dublin’s Middle Abbey Street – this time with three upper floors available for a temple. It looked like Janmastami’s dream of a Dublin temple would come true. A meeting was called to discuss what to do with the extra floors, and who would head up the project. When no one else stepped forward, Janmastami finally volunteered: he would be the temple manager.

It wasn’t an easy job. With no temple in over a decade, there was no congregation to speak of. “There were devotees in Dublin, but they had to be found and reached out to before they would get involved,” Janmastami says. “It was a Catch 22 – we had neither a community to put the temple together, nor a temple to draw in the community. Not only that, but we didn’t have one cent to build the temple with. So I suggested that we just start holding regular programs above the restaurant, however basic. I hoped that would start to build a community, and people would come along whom we could talk to about building work, fundraising and getting something off the ground.”

Dublin devotees such as Tulasi-Priya Dasa and Moksa-Rupa Dasi were enthusiastic, and an organizer rota system was established which remains the same to this day: Tulasi-Priya and Moksa-Rupa had one Sunday, Janmastami and Vraja-Lila another, and Pragosh and Goloka the last. When their week came around, the scheduled organizers would run the entire program single-handedly – they’d cook the food, unlock the door and welcome guests, give the lecture, and lead the chanting.

Gradually, more and more devotees started to come. Many Janmastami had never met before, which was unusual for a small ISKCON community like Ireland. Eshwar, a South African of Indian descent, was a devotee of Krishna from childhood and had been practicing Krishna consciousness on his own and reading Prabhupada’s books. He had been living in Dublin for over thirty years but amazingly had never encountered devotees before hearing about the new project. Today, he’s an invaluable part of the community.

Dublin’s relatively new Mauritian community has also provided very strong support and has centered itself around ISKCON. “While some of the Indians here are Vaishnavas, many would not place visiting a Krishna temple over a Ganesh or Shiva puja,” Janmastami says. “But the Mauritian people are classically Vaishnava and focused on Krishna. As a result, they’ve helped us a lot by donating money and hours to the project.”

With three rent-free floors in a prime location thanks to Govinda’s restaurant, every donated cent went straight to either the building work or buying BBT books for distribution. The restaurant also donates money to Govindadwipa island and to international ISKCON costs, freeing the Dublin temple from financial obligations. “Donations coming in after the temple opens will go into developing the building even further,” Janmastami says. “And in the future, it will go into a savings account for bigger and better temples and outreach programs.”

As Janmastami and the newly revived congregation began work on transforming the dilapidated rooms above the restaurant into a temple, they continued to hold programs in the space. It was austere to say the least – there was no kitchen, no electricity and no running water. Still, ISKCON leaders such as Radhanatha Swami, Indradyumna Swami, Danavir Goswami, Jayapataka Swami, Trivikrama Swami, and Hridayananda Goswami all visited and lent their support. They liked the project’s frontline quality, and the devotees’ determination to tough out difficult conditions to worship Krishna together and reach out to people. “Hridayananda affectionately refers to a pile of rubble behind which I helped him get changed as his changing room,” Janmastami says, laughing. “Last time we talked to him on the phone, he asked us how it was doing!”

After three years of hard work from the community, the temple was completed. Although employing professional builders would have cost between 350,00 and half a million euros, devotees brought the cost down to €108,000 by doing the labor themselves. “To quote a cliché, this temple is by the people for the people,” Janmastami says. “And that’s why it’s so special. The devotees who have put the work in are going to recognize every square inch of wall that they helped sand or plaster or paint – every single job they’ve done. This temple has been built by service.”

And the result is impressive: On the ground floor is Govinda’s restaurant. The temple’s kitchen and bathrooms occupy the first floor. And on the second floor is an ashram where several devotees will live full-time, doing book distribution and taking care of visitors. This floor also includes a reception area and customized shoe room with space for up to 200 pairs of shoes – in true style, visitors will be welcomed, relieved of their shoes and given a number with which to collect them later. The second floor also houses offices for Dublin’s three Govinda’s restaurants, general ISKCON management, the temple, and communications work, providing a centralized hub for ISKCON Dublin.

Finally, on the top floor is the temple room. A fusion between ancient Vedic and modern styles, it’s full of ornate arches and clean oak floors, with plenty of mirrors and light. The charming wooden altar is hand-carved in South India and is seven feet wide and eight feet tall, with domes that reach the ceiling. Upon it sit beautiful three foot high Pancha-Tattva deities – Lord Chaitanya and his associates – made from plaster by ISKCON devotees in Hungary.

“Although they look like deities, being plaster they are more of a diorama style,” Janmastami says. “We opted for that because traditional marble or brass altar deities require a very high standard of worship by trained brahmana priests. And since many of us are not brahmanas and would like to be able to worship them, we decided to go the most inclusive route.”

“Originally,” he adds, “We were going to just have a picture, but the deities give the place such a sense of identity – it’s not just a room with a picture, it’s the home of Sri Pancha-Tattva. And it’s to see them that people will visit again and again.”

The new ISKCON Dublin temple will open on April 5 – the auspicious occasion of both Lord Ramachandra’s appearance and Ekadasi, the day of Lord Hari – kicking off a full year of celebration to honor the new beginning. Festivities will begin with the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3pm followed by two Bharat-Natyam dances, a drama on the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya by the UK’s Bhaktivedanta Players, and of course lots of roaring kirtan. Just before the curtains open to reveal Pancha-Tattva for the first time, a video of Pancha-Tattva’s Maha-Abhishek in ISKCON Mayapur, India will be projected full screen. Janmastami will then give an appreciation talk, thanking all the devotees who have assisted with the project, followed by a slideshow showing its steps from the rough beginning to the finished project. Finally, at 7pm, a huge feast will be served, whipped up by master chefs Goloka Dasi and Katyayani of Govinda’s. Following this, the center will be open until late, with devotees “hanging out,” talking to old friends they haven’t seen in a long time, and playing spontaneous bhajans.

While the temple room has a 100 person capacity, Janmastami expects a lot more. “Last Rama Navami, we had 120 guests,” he says. “Since we were still in building site mode, and there was less space than there is now, we managed to cram only 70 people into the temple room for the program. The remaining 50 stood in the hallways outside, just so they could listen in. So with 6,000 Hindus in the country and hundreds of devotees in Ireland and the UK who have shown interest, it’s likely that people will be waiting outside and taking turns coming into the temple room. To help, we’ll have some entertainment in the hallways, and some overflow rooms throughout the building.” He grins. “It’s going to be a bit crazy, but that’s what you want, right?”

Special guests were at first considered for the event, but with so many attractions already and so little space, organizers decided to give the VIPS their own programs later in the celebration year. Indradyumna Swami will visit in June, and Dublin’s Lord Mayor, who has shown a lot of support and opened Rathayatras in the past, may also visit. Glen Hansard of popular Irish band the Frames, and Oscar-winner for his music in the movie “Once,” will also be paying a visit, after becoming a Hare Krishna while sticking to his rock career, George Harrison style.

If there’s anything Dublin’s ISKCON community want their new temple to be remembered for, it’s having a devotee-centered mood. The center takes its mission statement from Lord Krishna himself, who in the book Krishna says, “I consider worship of my devotees to be better than direct worship of me. If someone attempts to worship me directly without worshipping my devotees, I do not accept such worship, even though it may be presented with great opulence.”

In keeping with this message, there will be a strong focus on training and workshops, on everything from Vaishnava etiquette to communications. In addition, there will be a focus on spiritual personal development, community support, caring for devotees’ needs, and social events for devotees such as video and bhajan nights. “Because we don’t have a community in Dublin that forces us together by physical proximity, we have to create a reason for devotees to spend time together and retain that sense of community,” Janmastami says.

This focus also helps attract newcomers. “We find that the more we help each other in Krishna consciousness and create fun and interesting things for devotees to do, the more people on the outside want to come and be a part of our social scene,” says Janmastami. “Rather than getting ‘preached to,’ it’s much more effective for them to see that we’re warm, friendly, and have a great sense of community – then they’ll want to be a part of it.”

Janmastami also thinks that the Dublin temple will boost the rest of ISKCON’s efforts in Ireland. The new center is just off O’Connell St, the historic core of Dublin’s city center. And Dublin is Ireland’s biggest city, with two million of the country’s six million population. “So getting something good going here does tend to have a knock-on effect on the other parts of the country too,” he says. “People are not going to be just walking by our temple on Govindadwipa island – they would have to be going their specifically. But they do just wander into the front door here in Dublin because it’s in such a central location. So we hope to get a lot of visitors who will appreciate what we’re doing in the country as a whole, rather than just our local efforts.”

ISKCON News
http://news.iskcon.com/node/1895/2009-04-04/iskcon_dublin_temple_devotees_devotees

Temple Opening Schedule - Sunday 5th April 2009

2009-04-04T15:01:00.003+01:00

A Letter To The Senior Devotees Of Ireland

2009-04-01T14:54:00.003+01:00

Dublin Temple Opens Sunday 5th April 2009

2009-04-01T01:12:00.004+01:00

Thanks for all the support!

2009-03-01T01:40:00.002Z

We've had lots of emails, phone calls and people dropping in offering their support over the past few days - thank you!

We still need to work hard to fundraise the remaining €9,000 that it will take to pay for the flooring and the altar curtains so if you plan to contribute to the new temple now it the perfect time.

I've had several people asking me about contributing regularly - we have a great new patron programme set up for just this purpose.

All you need to do is visit the link just below and you'll find out all about the patron programme and you can simply fill out the included form and drop it in to us in person or by post and you can be a recognised patron from as little as 82c per day.

http://www.krishna.ie/patrons/dublin_temple_patron_brochure.pdf

Benefits include regular updates by newsletter, surprises by post, a special patron ID card that entitles you to 10% discount at all our Govinda's restaurants and of course the satisfaction in knowing that you are supporting Krishna Consciousness and the spread of spirituality in a practical and committed way.

So please do take action now and join us today.

Dublin Temple Opening Date Confirmed: Sunday 5th April 2009

2009-02-19T14:11:00.003Z

We've got a date! On Sunday 5th April 2009 at 3pm, on the auspicious occasion of Ekadasi and the weekend of Lord Ramachandra's Appearance Day we will be celebrating the official opening of the brand new Dublin temple.

For those of you who are not familiar with the project it has been under construction for the past 3 years and has a total cost of €108,000.00 - and that's just the cost of materials. Thanks to the generous support of our many friends most of the labour was volunteered.

With thanks to everyone's support we have fundraised the majority of this money however we still need €9,000 in order to finish the required work for the April opening. Therefore we are seeking as many fundraising ideas and contributions as possible.

Please get directly in touch with us if you have any ideas and you can place a donation by simply clicking on the donate link below. Whether you donation is small or large it will be greatly appreciated and you will of course be credited with helping to build and open a temple. This is a very special opportunity for spiritual advancement that happens very rarely.

We invite you to join us for the special opening festival of the brand new Hare Krishna Temple and Community Centre in at 83 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1. We will be celebrating the opening with music, dance, a delicious vegetarian feast and of course the unveiling of the brand new altar and your first chance to see Their Lordships Sri Sri Panca Tattva. We look forward to seeing you then!

Temple Rubble Cleared Out

2009-02-01T23:54:00.004Z

Progress going VERY well

2009-02-01T23:44:00.003Z

Harinama Sunday 18th January 2009

2009-01-17T18:35:00.003Z

Dublin Team

2008-10-24T18:21:00.005+01:00

We had a great meeting last Sunday, after the Sunday programme, where we invited a few of our most active members to participate in forming a team that will look after the day to day running of the centre. All the arrangements we made are somewhat provisional as things will change once the temple reopens next year but we all agreed that starting now will give us the chance to get comfortable at doing what needs to be done so we can aim for a higher level of service to temple visitors once work is complete.

Here is a review of the meeting:

ATTENDEES

Balaji, Egor, Eshwar, Janmastami, Magda, Nidhish, Praveena

OVERVIEW

- Four distinct but complimentary departments are to be set up within
ISKCON Dublin:
- Patron Department
- Guest Care Department
- Records Department
- Cleanliness Department
- Manager's are sought for each of these roles, all roles are to be
assigned on a provisional basis subject to continual review and in
particular a review when the centre reopens when the nature of these
departments and their needs may change.

PATRON DEPARTMENT

- The Patron Department exists to attend to the needs of both existing
and future donors whether they contribute money, time and/or something
else of value as well as to encourage others to contribute within
their means to ISKCON Dublin's activities. This department will seek
acceptable ways to promote this contribution and implement them, and
in particular the direct debit patron programme will be promoted.
- It was resolved that Nidhish Prabhu (volunteered, supported by
Janmastami, seconded by Eshwar) take on the role of manager of this
department.

GUEST CARE DEPARTMENT

- The Guest Care Department exists to ensure that all visitors to the
centre receive a suitably high and consistent standard of welcome and
that their needs are met. This includes ensuring that they are
greeted, provided with further information in accordance with their
needs (first time visitor, from another yatra etc) and that their
details are recorded in the new guest book so that they can be stayed
in contact with even if they do not visit often.
- It was resolved that Magda Mataji (volunteered, supported by
Janmastami, seconded by Praveena) take on the role of manager of this
department.
- Praveena Mataji and Egor Prabhu volunteered to assist in this role.

RECORDS DEPARTMENT

- The Records Department exists to keep track of the various databases
of ISKCON Dublin - financial details and contact information - and to
make this information available to various other departments such as
the Patron Department and Guest Care Department for the purposes of
keeping in touch with contacts as well as statistical analysis. A
central database with multiple user access is to be established for
this department and the guest book will be regularly updated to this
computerised database.
- It was resolved that Praveena Mataji (volunteered, supported by
Janmastami, seconded by Egor) take on the role of manager of this
department. This role will be held by her in addition to her existing
role of Treasurer.

CLEANLINESS DEPARTMENT

- The Cleanliness Department's purpose is to ensure the order, safety
and cleanliness of all public parts of the temple building and their
contents such as furniture and mats as well as to implement waste
disposal. Initially this department also includes care of the altar
area, although this will become a separate department upon reopening.
- It was resolved that Eshwar Prabhu (volunteered, supported by
Janmastami, seconded by Balaji) take on the role of manager of this
department.

MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

- John Prabhu, who was unable to make it to the team meeting, later
volunteered to become manager of the Maintenance Department. This was
supported by Janmastami.
- The Maintenance Department exists to ensure the safe working order
of the temple building, equipment and facilities and their upkeep.

Sri Sri Radha Govinda

2008-10-16T14:28:00.003+01:00

Electrical storm?

2008-10-16T14:19:00.003+01:00

It's been a strange week in terms of electrical work. In once sense we've gotten a lot done as the fire alarm wiring is now in place. It's not finished yet though as we still need to run the cable up from the basement that will power the kitchen area.

Our electrician, a local contractor who has worked on the Govinda's restaurants before, has been rather preoccupied this week and although he is a genuinely nice person to talk to he has a habit of not doing things when he says he will as well as not letting us know what's going on and as such he gets more phonecalls from me than I would like to make.

Because the plastering is starting shortly, he knows that his work needs to be finished by the end of this week and he assures us it will be. It needs to be because otherwise we will have more serious schedule problems.

Janmastami dasa

Thanks for the support

2008-10-16T14:15:00.002+01:00

There's been a lot of traffic coming through the temple building this past week, devotees dropping by to show their support and people volunteering their time and donating money. Thanks to everyone for your support!

Sri Sri Panca Tattva's Wonderful Altar

2008-10-08T14:35:00.003+01:00

One of the most exciting parts of the soon to be launched temple design is the beautiful altar that has been custom made by hand in South India for Sri Sri Panca Tattva.

Featuring an intricate series of devotional carvings of elephants, flowers and other exotic devotional symbols the wooden altar will sit upon the marble floor of the Deity area in the new temple room.

We had some difficulties with the delivery - part of it was lost in transit from India. While this isn't unusual, still it posed to be a big problem because if the contents couldn't be found it would mean they would have to be carved all over again and this could take up to a year and mean our operning would be very delayed.

Fortunately it was discovered that the pieces that were missing were accessories rather than main structural parts of the altar such as the dome, pillars or platforms. This meant that we could open up regardless.

We had even better news just recently when our shipping agent called us to say that they found the lost part of the delivery - somehow it had been routed to London incorrectly. They sent it to us and it has all arrived safely. The delivery included the vyasasana (where a speaker sits while talking from scripture) and some decorative tables for placing the arati tray (the brass tray that is used for puja, or making offerings, to the Deities).

Now that our collection of devotional furniture is complete there will be no delay in opening once the refurbishment work is complete. We haven't got an exact date set yet, however we will have one soon. It's likely to be at the very beginning of next year - which is very soon! We're finally reaching a point where we have enough information to calculate a realistic date to announce and you'll hear it here first.

Coming Soon: Toilets!

2008-10-08T14:27:00.003+01:00

As part of our complete renovation of the temple building, one of the things that we have lacked greatly in our temporary operation has been proper bathroom facilities. In response to this their finishing has been prioritised and we are also finishing them to a very high modern standard.

John and Radhaya have already done the ground work by constructing the cubicles, located on the 1st floor, and have done the initial measuring and layout. At this very moment they are working on the plumbing. The wiring will also soon be complete for the water heater and hand dryers.

Eshwar has already helped us to source the various fittings such as taps, dryers, wash-hand basins and the toilet bowl themselves and these will be fitted shortly. We're going to tile each bathroom and Joe will be doing this when he next visits.

Electrical Progress

2008-10-08T14:19:00.004+01:00

Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

2008-10-02T14:21:00.004+01:00

John and Radhaya are making great progress right this minute at clearing the first floor area of the temple building. As the electric work is due to resume shortly we need all the areas that are due to be wired to be completely clear.

It's pretty heavy duty work but they're doing well, dismantling the crates that the altar came in from India, removing the nails, making stacks of timber and generally sorting and tidying the place.

Eshwar is coming a little later today to remove the excess wood.

Electrics in Full Swing

2008-10-02T14:04:00.003+01:00

The electrician was out last night - we met and discussed the final details of the wiring and he's set to get to work by 8am this Monday. John and Radhaya will also be there next week working away on the other electrical installations such as lighting and plug fixtures.

We are in the process of getting some of the brass fittings for the temple as well as the light rails that will be mounted on the beams of the temple room as well as the altar and the electrician tells us he will be able to get us some rock bottom prices.

Risk of shock

2008-09-26T19:29:00.005+01:00

I called the electrician back and he has promised that he will commence the work on the alarm system and other electrics on Monday 6th of October and be finished by Friday 10th of October.

I spoke to him about the fact that he has also confirmed dates of completion over the past couple of months and not delivered on them and he explained that there was a particularly difficult job on that led to his missing the deadlines we had agreed upon.

As he has worked reliably with ISKCON in the past we are happy to trust that he will now meet this deadline. If for any reason this doesn't happen then we will have no other choice to get another electrician to take over where this one has left off. This is something that is best avoided, due to the disruption it causes in a project, but we will have no choice.

Please say some electric prayers that with Lord Krishna's mercy we can get this awkward part of the construction complete and move on to the more creative completion of the new temple!

Janmastami dasa

Electrical Work

2008-09-26T16:43:00.003+01:00

One of our greatest challenges at this part of the construction project is getting the electrical work finished. Once this is complete we will be able to finish the plastering and also fit the lights in the temple room. Then work can commence on the plumbing and painting can begin.

A lot of work has already been done on the electrics and most of the cabling is complete, however in order to open the new part of the centre we must have a fire alarm system installed and tested. We have arranged with an electrician to do this but despite our setting the times and dates this still has not happened.

I last talked to the electrician less than an hour ago and he said he is available and will get back in touch with me today to confirm when he will finish the work. I'll keep you posted.

Janmastami dasa

History of ISKCON Dublin

2008-09-26T16:20:00.005+01:00

Krishna Consciousness has been popular in Dublin for many years now. As Ireland's capital city, Dublin is a diverse and busy city and over the past few decades has had many temples. For one reason or another these temples never remained open for longer than a few years, mainly because the properties were not owned or secured by a long term leese agreement.

With the development of the Govinda's chain of vegetarian restaurant in the city a long term leese has been secured on the present temple building and thanks to the support of the restaurant devotees we now have a place we can call home. Sunday programmes have been taking place for the last few years in the Dublin temple every week at 3pm.

Over this space of time we have had a chance to develop a supportive community who have joined and worked with the core temple team to refine our vision of a thriving city centre temple with regular and varied Krishna Conscious programmes. We have also fundraised over €75,000 of the €90,000 that we estimate it will cost to complete the renovation of the present temple.

Although our Sunday programmes have been popular we are working on building a far more substantial centre with different rooms including the temple room, kitchens and a reception area. Thanks to the help of our many supporters the majority of this work has already been completed and we are now in the final stages of completing the wiring and decorating.

If you are interested in supporting the temple with your time then please either contact us by email or visit in person - you'll always find us there on Sundays from 3pm onwards. You can also donate whatever you can afford towards the fund to finish the renovations using the Paypal button below.

Janmastami dasa

Welcome

2008-09-26T16:13:00.003+01:00

Welcome to the ISKCON Dublin Temple blog. From today onwards I'll be keeping you up to date on all the latest progress of the Dublin centre. Please add your comments and get involved.

Janmastami dasa