The rolling hills of rural West Virginia seem an unlikely spot for a Hare Krishna community to exist, and yet there it is: New Vrindaban. About an hour and a half's drive from Pittsburgh, this dreamlike place is the Oz at the end of a Rust Belt country road—not a mirage, but not exactly straightforward either. Hare Krishna devotees live here, but visitors (read: non-believers) are welcome to poke around, too. You can even stay on-site in a cabin if you want.
New Vrindaban was settled in the late '60s by followers of Srila Prabhupada, the man who basically founded the International Society for Krisha Consciousness (commonly known as Hare Krishna, an offshoot of Hinduism) and brought it to the West. The main attraction on the grounds is the Palace of Gold, an ornate building constructed by Prabhupada's devotees in the '70s—as a place for him to live. Unskilled teens and 20-somethings all, they taught themselves artisan skills to outfit the palace all in gold, marble, and stained glass. Unfortunately Prabhupada died before the construction finished, but now they give tours of the structure, which has an intricately adorned study, bedroom, en-suite bathroom, and even an on-site temple (where a statue likeness of Prabhupada now resides.)
Visiting New Vrindaban is a surreal experience to say the least. The community has been plagued with controversy past and recent, and it's clear that a lot of the Palace of Gold's exterior is rather in disarray—in addition to the repairs going on in other parts of the compound, which gives the whole place a curious vibe. Apparently visiting in summer (when the award-winning rose garden is in bloom) is a nice spectacle, but visiting during the quiet, introspective month of November is good too. One may be privvy to a one-on-one tour of the Palace or the deity-filled temple, which perfectly toes the line between preachy and educational. There's also an on-site restaurant for vegetarian Indian food; though, sometimes it might be closed early in order to offer a free meal to all the community (visitors included) deep within compound offices. It tastes really good, even if eaten as quickly as possible to get the heck out of there.
New Vrindaban
3759 McCrearys Ridge Road
Moundsville, WV 26041
MAP![]()
New Vrindaban is likely the most surreal Hare Krishna community in America, perched on the rolling hills of the West Virginia panhandle. Photos by Alison Baitz ![]()
Vegetarianism is hugely important for Hare Krishna followers—the compound at New Vrindaban includes a cow sanctuary. While visiting, I was fed paneer made from the on-site cows. ![]()
The palace was made in the '70s by the unskilled hands of teens and 20-somethings, who taught themselves how to make things like stained glass and pieced marble floors. It was intended as a place for Srila Prabhupada (essentially the founder of the Hare Krishna faith) to live. ![]()
Prabhupada sadly died before the completion of construction, so instead of the palace being a place for him to live, it's now a shrine with daily tours. ![]()
Building the Palace of Gold took nearly a decade. ![]()
New Vrindaban was settled in the late '60s by followers of Srila Prabhupada, the man who basically founded the International Society for Krisha Consciousness (commonly known as Hare Krishna, an offshoot of Hinduism) and brought it to the West. The main attraction on the grounds is the Palace of Gold, an ornate building constructed by Prabhupada's devotees in the '70s—as a place for him to live. Unskilled teens and 20-somethings all, they taught themselves artisan skills to outfit the palace all in gold, marble, and stained glass. Unfortunately Prabhupada died before the construction finished, but now they give tours of the structure, which has an intricately adorned study, bedroom, en-suite bathroom, and even an on-site temple (where a statue likeness of Prabhupada now resides.)
Visiting New Vrindaban is a surreal experience to say the least. The community has been plagued with controversy past and recent, and it's clear that a lot of the Palace of Gold's exterior is rather in disarray—in addition to the repairs going on in other parts of the compound, which gives the whole place a curious vibe. Apparently visiting in summer (when the award-winning rose garden is in bloom) is a nice spectacle, but visiting during the quiet, introspective month of November is good too. One may be privvy to a one-on-one tour of the Palace or the deity-filled temple, which perfectly toes the line between preachy and educational. There's also an on-site restaurant for vegetarian Indian food; though, sometimes it might be closed early in order to offer a free meal to all the community (visitors included) deep within compound offices. It tastes really good, even if eaten as quickly as possible to get the heck out of there.
New Vrindaban
3759 McCrearys Ridge Road
Moundsville, WV 26041
MAP
New Vrindaban is likely the most surreal Hare Krishna community in America, perched on the rolling hills of the West Virginia panhandle. Photos by Alison Baitz 
Vegetarianism is hugely important for Hare Krishna followers—the compound at New Vrindaban includes a cow sanctuary. While visiting, I was fed paneer made from the on-site cows. 
The palace was made in the '70s by the unskilled hands of teens and 20-somethings, who taught themselves how to make things like stained glass and pieced marble floors. It was intended as a place for Srila Prabhupada (essentially the founder of the Hare Krishna faith) to live. 
Prabhupada sadly died before the completion of construction, so instead of the palace being a place for him to live, it's now a shrine with daily tours. 
Building the Palace of Gold took nearly a decade. 