Radha Madhav Dham
| Radha Madhav Dham | |
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 Radha Madhav Dham
Location within Texas
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| Name | |
| Other names | Barsana Dham |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 30°9′20″N 97°57′28″W / 30.15556°N 97.95778°WCoordinates: 30°9′20″N 97°57′28″W / 30.15556°N 97.95778°W |
| Country | United States |
| State/province | Texas |
| Locale | Near Austin |
| History and governance | |
| Date established | 1990 |
| Website | radhamadhavdham |
Radha Madhav Dham, originally called Barsana Dham is the main U.S. center of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, a non-profit, charitable, educational and spiritual organisation located on more than 200 acres of land in Hays County, south of Austin, Texas. It is a Hindu temple and ashram complex, the oldest Hindu Temple in Texas the largest in North America and one of the largest Hindu Temple complexes in the Western Hemisphere.
Radha Madhav Dham is a nonprofit, religious, educational, and charitable organization that follows the path of raganuga bhakti. The temple is involved in numerous charitable educational projects including JKP Education, which won the Nelson Mandela Peace Award instituted by the Economic Growth Society of India in April 2014.
The temple was founded by Prakashanand Saraswati. Saraswati was convicted in 2011 of 20 counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and sentenced to 280 years of prison. Saraswati did not show up for sentencing and is believed by authorities to have fled first to Mexico, and then to India where he continues teaching. As of 2015 all images and mentions of Saraswati have been removed from the temple, which has said that its leadership has been changed and that it has no knowledge of Saraswati's whereabouts.
Radha Madhav Dham (Barsana Dham), was established in 1990, as the main US Center of the International Society of Divine Love, which was founded in the 1970s. Radha Madhav Dham was built to be a representation of the holy land of Braj in India where Radha and Krishna are believed by Hindus to have appeared, around 5,000 years ago. It has been designed as a place of pilgrimage in America. Areas of Radha Madhav Dham have been developed to be the places for meditation. Places of Braj like Govardhan, Radha Kund, Prem Sarovar, Shyam Kuti, etc. are represented in Radha Madhav Dham where a natural stream named Kalindi represents the Yamuna river of Vrindaban.
In April 2011, following the escape and disappearance of its founder Prakashanand Saraswati after his conviction on 20 charges of sexual indecency with a child at Barsana Dham, the organization changed its name.
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