ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known as Hare Krishna Movement, was founded by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada) in 1966. the headquarters is at
Mayapur in
Nadia District,
West Bengal. With more than 350 centers spread over all continents, ISKCON is a major international organization with 10,000 temple devotees and 250,000 congregational devotees. This nonsectarian, monotheistic movement seeks to promote universal well-being by spreading the science of Krishna consciousness according to the
Bhagavad Gita and other ancient Hindu scriptures. The Governing Body Commission (GBC) of ISKCON democratically decides upon the organization's strategies and activities.
The precepts and practices of ISKCON are based on the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his principal associates, the six Goswamis of Vrindavan. In regular weekly or monthly meetings, the congregational groups of ISKCON work their way through the Bhagavad Gita, a task which sometimes takes years. The devotees also chant the Hare-Krishna mahamantra as taught by Sri Krishna Chaitanya.
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) of ISKCON, established in 1972 for publishing Srila Prabhupada’s works, has become the world’s largest publisher and distributor of books on Indian philosophy and religion. The BBT has published over 500 million books and magazines in more than 60 languages.
