ISKCON Temple Watford

On 29th June 2024 saturday fortunately visited the Bhaktivedant Manor Temple along with my wife, son,daughter in law, grandchildren and friends.

Bhaktivedanta Manor is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu temple set in the Hertfordshire countryside of England, in the village of Letchmore Heath, Hilfield Lane Watford WD25 8EZ, England. The Manor is owned and run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), better known as the Hare Krishna movement. It is ISKCON's largest property in the United Kingdom, and one of the most frequently visited Radha Krishna temples in Europe. The house is listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England.

It was set up by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta and originally donated by the late Beatle George Harrison.

Formerly a manor estate called Picot's Manor it has been around since the 1200 but between the 17 and 1800s a Georgian style manor house was built which remains now as the temple. The devotee named Dhananjaya das encouraged George Harrison to buy it for The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), widely known as the Hare Krishna movement.

The Beatles would often travel to India and found spirituality when they returrned to London.

In February of 1973, the manor house was purchased and renamed Bhaktivedanta Manor,

The manor estate today now has 77 acres of land.

Sri Krishna Haveli

Sri Krishna Haveli was designed so that. it wold sit well between the rustic goshala and does not overshadow Bhaktivedanta Manor. To complement the local area and respect the culture of the locality, oak, timber, tile and traditional red brick with stone paving were chosen as typical of the area of Hertfordshire and wider England. The design was chosen to respect the past and to look to the future, representing authentic construction of today, with sustaining features and characters.

You will be welcomed by a beautiful chakra garden with the heart chakra at the entrance. The heart is central to the Bhakti tradition as everything comes together in the heart. There will be lively kirtans, classes by visiting speakers, weddings and other functions in the Kirtan hall which is a formal and high-quality room with beautiful wood panelling, a stage and lighting. To the rear there are dressing rooms for stage performers and brides and grooms to be.

The Seva hall is conveniently situated beside a fully equipped bespoke kitchen for easy access to serve prasad to all our guests. This hall can also be subdivided into three sections and can be used for clubs, yoga and childrens activities.

The upstairs learning area is called Bhakti Vidyalaya with two areas for teaching: the Atma Vidya and Paramatma Vidya rooms.

Outside there is an exciting space for children in the Haveli playground. This play area was designed with ideas from the children in the Gurukula School and Krishna Club. It is centred around Krishna’s childhood pastimes with the Aghasura and Bakasura demons and Kaliya the serpent. Made from old trees, it is an area where the children play and engage just like Krishna did with His friends. The playground serves as a safe space for children to play and creatively engage, focusing on the pastimes of Lord Krishna. The manor is open Mondays to Sundays between 10am and 1pm then 4pm until 7.30pm.

Tulasi Greenhouse Leaves and manjari of Holy Tulasi are extremely in the puja proceedings of Shree Krishna Temple. On the way to the Krishna Haveli,the Tulasi greenhouse is on the left. Temple Gift Shop The main temple gift shop is located next to the main temple building.

Opening times Mon – Sat 11.00am – 6.30pm Sun 10.00am – 7.30pm

Radharani's Café Radharani’s snacks is based in the Haveli and offers freshly prepared takeaway snacks, pastries and milk sweets, and a wide range of foodstuffs (including eggless cakes). There is an outdoor seating area available. Opening times Monday – Saturday 10:00am – 2:00pm 4:00pm – 7:30pm Sunday / Bank Holidays 10:00am – 7.30pm