A look at the worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
New Guesthouse-Resort for ISKCON Mayapur
Mayapur, West Bengal During the annual ISKCON festival celebrating Lord Caitanya's appearance here five hundred years ago, an international gathering of devotees and guests took part in the cornerstone-laying ceremony for a 264-room guesthouse. To be called the Surabala-Ramani Mohan International Vedic Resort, the guesthouse was named after the parents of A. K. and B. K. Raya, Calcutta businessmen who donated funds for the project. The ceremony included a traditional Vedic fire sacrifice, with the chanting of purificatory mantras, and the distribution of krsna-prasadam.
The four-story guesthouse will contain three wings. The first wing, with seventy rooms, is expected to be completed by the spring of 1988. The resort will include a pavilion for serving prasadam to two thousand guests at a time. At present, ISKCON Mayapur, with its beautiful gardens and fountains, receives about forty to fifty busloads of pilgrims every weekend. About ten percent of these visitors, or about 250 guests, stay overnight. The new guesthouse promises to be another attractive feature for visitors to this holy place.
Consul General Visits Dallas Temple
Dallas, Texas His Excellency K.K.S. Rana, consul general of India based in San Francisco, recently visited ISKCON's Dallas temple and its famous Kalachandji's Restaurant. His Excellency received a copy of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita As It Is from temple president Navina Krsna dasa. ISKCON Life member Mr. Naryan Misra coordinated the visit.
Kalachandji's Restaurant Voted Best in Texas
Dallas, Texas Vegetarian Times magazine recently selected Kalachandji's Restaurant, at ISKCON Dallas, as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in America. After asking its staff and correspondents to send reviews of their favorite purely vegetarian restaurants, the magazine chose Kalachandji's as "the best bet for excellent vegetarian food" in the Lone Star state.
"The ambience of Kalachandji's is magical," the article in the March issue Vegetarian Times states. "As you enter, you are greeted by the aroma of incense and a host dressed in traditional Indian garb. You can dine either indoors or on the out-door patio. Soothing Indian music plays as sari-clad women serve your meal."
The article describes the dinner offered at Kalachandji's as "more than any diner could ask for." and notes that Kalachandji's has never served the same menu twice since it opened, in 1983.