You would be astonished to see pizzas, vegetable burgers, doughnuts, cakes and all other kinds of bakery items being sold here as Prasadam. It is rather unusual for a temple to be selling all these food items and that also as Prasadam. But the ISKCON authorities have their own logic behind this. Says C C Das, a devotee with ISKCON, " People love food and prefer to eat varieties. So it was decided to provide such food as Prasadam. The concept of Prasadam is ancient. People expect it. Therefore the variety in food. We want to show people that they don't have to go to fancy restaurants, it is all available at the temple." Besides, there are many people who do not take onions and garlic in their food, for them the variety of food items they get here is a relief. "Moreover", says C C Das, "By eating Prasadam one is spiritually benefited. So, instead of bland curd rice, we entice people through a variety of food."

The Gobi Manchurian served here is simply out of the world. Who would have thought that Gobi Manchurian is possible without the quintessential garlic paste and spring onion. The restaurant makes up for the absence with cabbage! And the amazing thing is that even to a garlic-onion addicted tongue nothing would seem amiss while eating the Manchurian. Another interesting aspect is the use of Carob Tree bark powder instead of cocoa. Cocoa is considered hazardous to one's health. It might almost seem like a sin to a confirmed chocoholic, but Carob powder actually doesn't taste too different from cocoa. So their chocolate cakes and chocolate doughnuts while tasting yummy are not derived of nutrition either.

'Ask your Philosophical Questions here' Counter

The philosophy imparted here is manly based on the Bhagavatgita and Sri Madbhagwath. The most common questions asked are why do we suffer if there is God? Why is He letting these things happen to us? Some people come with questions born out of misery, pain and sorrow. Some people come with challenges that they don't believe in God etc. In fact, the concept of God is the most misunderstood one today. People mostly believe in the giving God, a God who fulfills all their demands. ISKCON wants to create an awareness of God - the correct understanding and truth about God. And it is trying to do this through the Philosophical Questions counter.

Of course, it also means to deal with unpleasant experiences where people get aggressive."We try to make them understand. But if they don't, then they themselves will understand the futility of what they are doing and then go away," says C C Das.

Memberships with ISKCON

There are about 400 centres in the world and about 40-50 of them are in India. Their main centres are in Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi and the other centres are in Mayapur, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Surat, Hyderabad and Brindavan.

Dakshinakriti - Handicrafts emporium

Dakshinakriti was set up by ISKCON to encourage talented craftsmen of South India by showcasing their works and thus providing them with a platform to sell their craft items. It is therefore committed to the preservation of the artistic lineage of India by ensuring that rich art forms and artists survive the onslaught of commercialism.

Dakshinakriti also works towards the preservation of antique Vedic artefacts by making their replicas. Stone Sculptures, Celestial figures in Bronze, Brass Lamps, Soapstone, Rosewood Carvings, Sandalwood Carvings, Tanjore Art Plates and various other artefacts are exhibited here.

Dharani - Organic Store

Dharani is the Organic Store on the premises of ISKCON. It sells organic fruits, vegetables, unprocessed food like honey and processed food like jam, marmalades, chawanprash and others. All the products sold here are completely organic, unadulterated by chemical fertilisers.

ISKCON started Dharani with the objective of promoting organic food and organic farming. It hopes to bring about a greater understanding among the people about the importance of eating and living healthy. Some of the products sold at Dharani are from ISKCON's 100 acre organic farm in Srirangapatana, near Mysore. But most of them are from the the farmers whom ISKCON is encouraging to practise organic farming. According to Vasudev Pran Das, a devotee with ISKCON, " With the use of chemical fertilisers the soil would become sand like over time, losing all its fertility. Not only that, the crops grown through the use of chemical fertilisers is adulterated and often contains harmful chemicals like carcinogens." He also said that though the yield through organic farming comes down to 40% of what the farmer used to yield through chemical fertilisers, over time he would not only regain the 100% but also move far beyond it. "The best organic fertiliser is Neem oil," he added.

Goshala at ISKCON

Who would have ever thought that ISKCON also had a Goshala (cow shed) which caters to the milk and milk product needs of the huge temple. Well, they do have a Goshala and right now it houses about 20 cows and a few calves. The primary objective of the Goshala at ISKCON is to urge people towards protecting the cows. "Cow protection is very important. Since ancient time, the cow has been like our mother. So how can we slaughter our mother. It is a grave sin to kill a cow," says Vasudev Pran Das. He said regardless of religious beliefs, cow protection should be accepted universally.

Maintaining a Goshala is not an easy task. ISKCON has to spend about Rs 150/- every day for looking after each cow. This fostering includes their food, daily bath, keeping the Goshala clean etc.

The goshala also accepts cows that people want to donate and gives shelter to any cow that people can't look after. It is also trying to raise indigenous cow breeds. This is with the idea to propagate the natural and real breed. With the cross breeds that exist these days, they are of the opinion, that the milk one gets is diluted in its consistency and nature.

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