I couldn’t believe it when I heard there was a giant golden palace in the middle of rural West Virginia. I love learning about quirky, unexpected locations, and an 8,000 square foot gilded temple in the middle of Appalachia totally fits that bill.
This is the Palace of Gold, part of the Hare Krishna community of New Vrindaban. It has an interesting and controversial history. My 5-day roadtrip through the rolling hills of West Virginia took me to New Vrindaban and the Palace of Gold.
Table of Contents:
About the Palace of Gold
When I think of West Virginia, I think of rolling hills, coal towns, and rustic homes. A gilded palace of marble and gold is the last thing I would expect. The Palace of Gold is part of New Vrindaban, which is a Hare Krishna community named after the town of Vrindavan in India. Hare Krishna is an eastern religious group. The Hare Krishna movement spread to the U.S. in the 1960s through its founder, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Construction of the palace began in 1972. It was originally meant to be a residence for Prabhupada, but was only completed in 1979, 2 years after his death.
The palace is over 8,000 square feet of 22 karat gold, over 50 types of marble and onyx from 17 different countries, stained glass windows, and crystal chandeliers. Members of the community raised $600,000 for materials to build the palace, and all the work to build it was done by untrained (and unpaid) devotees who learned as they went along.
Today the palace is now more of a tourist attraction than anything else, and has been listed as one of the 8 religious wonders to visit by CNN Travel. Some refer to it as America’s Taj Mahal. Visitors can take a guided tour of the interior for $12 (though photography inside is not allowed), while the wider New Vrindaban grounds (including gardens, ponds, and the temple) are free to explore.
About New Vrindaban
In 1968 Prabhupada fell in love with a 100+ acre property near Moundsville, West Virginia. His vision was to build a self-sufficient spiritual community in the western world, devoted to Krishna consciousness.
At one point there were almost 500 members living in New Vrindaban. But after a few scandals, membership decreased to around 225 in the late 1990s. I am not sure how many reside there today.
Things to See at New Vrindaban
- Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold: You can visit the exterior for free, or take a guided tour to learn about the palace. Tours run every 30 minutes.
- Admission: Exterior is free, interior is $12 per person, which includes exploring the main rooms and an expert-led history session. No photos allowed inside. Tours start every 30 minutes, with the last tour beginning 30 minutes before closing
- Hours:
- Monday-Thursday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Friday-Sunday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Rose Garden and Lotus Pond: Located at the Palace of Gold. Free to walk around and explore
- Radha Krishna Temple: This is the heart of the community, which welcomes visitors year-round with ornate decorations, spiritual music (kirtan), and worship that can be observed anytime, starting as early as 5am
- Admission: Free
- Hours: Open to the public year-round, 5:00 am – 8:30 pm daily
- Cow Sanctuary / Cow Barn: America’s oldest cow sanctuary, with daily milking demonstrations and opportunities to interact with cows. No slaughter occurs. They treat cows as family!
- Peacock Walk: Over two dozen peacocks roam the grounds. The self-guided trail includes some signs about local wildlife
- Scenic Hikes: Walking trails and hiking routes throughout the property
- Govinda’s Restaurant: The area’s top vegetarian restaurant, serving Indian-inspired dishes and sanctified food. Note: winter months may have limited hours
- Gift shops: Specialty shops offer Indian textiles, jewelry, books, incense, devotional items, and unique souvenirs
- Major Festivals: Janmashtami (Krishna’s birthday), Festival of Colors, and other ISKCON spiritual celebrations feature music, food, dance, and dramatic performances. All are open to the public and often free to attend
Lodging
Lodging isn’t necessary, but you can also stay at New Vrindaban if you so desire!
- Palace Lodge and Cabins: Stay overnight in comfortable lodge rooms or lakeside cabins. Early mornings offer peaceful wildlife viewing, including deer and birds.
- Accessibility: Grounds are spread out. You can call ahead for accessibility accommodations if needed
Controversy
Swami Prabhupada did not name a successor after his death in 1977. And so a power struggle erupted across the Hare Krishna movement. Swami Keith Gordon Ham was one of those figures to emerge (also known as Swami Kīrtanānanda Bhaktipada), and he stepped in to rule New Vrindaban (with an iron fist).
Under Kīrtanānanda, paranoia about outsiders grew. Armed guards patrolled the commune. Violence and scandal followed. In 1983, a devotee was murdered within the community, and in 1986 a critic working on a book about corruption was killed in Los Angeles. Kīrtanānanda was alleged to have orchestrated and condoned these acts to protect his power.
Sexual abuse was also reported. Kīrtanānanda was accused of molesting teenage boys, and stories circulated about his relationships with younger men that were brought to the commune. A teacher’s aide at the community’s school also served jail time for offenses against a child in 1987.
In 1987 ISKCON formally expelled him for “moral and theological deviations,” and a year later New Vrindaban was expelled from ISKCON. The following years saw federal charges: prosecutors accused Kīrtanānanda of amassing millions illegally, and in 1996 he accepted a plea bargain for racketeering, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder. He was sentenced to 20 years, but served only part of his term before relocating to India, where he died in 2011.
Though New Vrindaban was eventually readmitted to ISKCON in 1998, the damage was was done. Membership and tourism severely declined, finances dried up, and the once-busy community became a shadow of its 1980s peak.
It’s important to note also that problems at New Vrindaban weren’t isolated. Across ISKCON communities in the 1970s and ’80s, there were other scandals of financial mismanagement, violence, and sexual abuse. The docuseries Monkey on a Stick documented how the movement’s rapid growth after Prabhupada’s death left a power vacuum, and how some leaders exploited that vacuum with authoritarian control and corruption.
My Visit to New Vrindaban
New Vrindaban was the last stop of my WV roadtrip. I went early in the morning (you can really visit any time- the temple services start at 5 am), but if you want to see the inside of the Palace of Gold, there are set hours to be able to see it. I wanted to see the New Vrindaban cows more than the palace, so I left my hotel in Moundsville around 6:30 am to make it to the cow barn at around 7 am when the milking of the cows takes place.
Driving and Parking
The drive to New Vrindaban was quite nice and consisted of a lot of windy, wooded back roads up a mountain. I stayed the night before at a hotel in Moundsville. Arriving at sunrise made the drive exceptionally pretty. Cell service is sparse up there, so it’s best to download an offline map before arriving.
You’ll pass the Palace of Gold before getting to the New Vrindaban Welcome Center (and cow barn). The Welcome Center has a few parking spots out front, as well as some parking in front of a building which looked like lodging (to the left of the Welcome Center). I parked in one of the welcome center spots. I learned later that there is a lot more parking in the back if you take the driveway around. Lesson learned for next time! The parking lot is also where visitors can find a life-sized statue of an elephant.
A good number of people were out and about at 7 am, which surprised me. I expected there to be a few people around, but did not expect to see dozens out and about. I was also surprised to see many non-Indians dressed in saris, or gopi dresses, dhotis, and kurtas.
Seeing the Cows
It was right around 7 am when I arrived, so I headed directly to the Cow Barn, which is across the street from the Welcome Center. When I arrived, a kind gentleman at the door welcomed me and said I was welcome to pet the cows once they were done eating. It wasn’t long after until he also invited me to sit and milk one of the cows.
A woman directed me to sit on a milk crate next to the cow, and it was all systems go from there. I grabbed an under and went for it. It was the first time I have ever milked a cow. I had been looking forward to this day for years. The woman complimented my milking skills. I continued to pulled a few squirts of milk into the bucket, and then I let the next person go. A word of caution- you have to watch where your feet are placed because the cow may step backwards and you wouldn’t want a thousand pounds to crush your feet.
There was a line of people waiting to milk the cow, so I was very clearly not the only person at 7 am who wanted to milk a cow.
After my milking experience, I helped to brush the cows and gave them a few more pets before exploring more of the area. It was very relaxing to be in the presence of these beautiful creatures!
Walking Around the Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Temple and Grounds
I first took a quick peek into the Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Temple to see what services were in progress. Note: you must take off your shoes in the temple! Inside is a large ornate space filled with opulent tributes to Krishna. There is also a life-sized figure of Prabhupada, sitting cross-legged in a throne-like chair. There was lots of singing and dancing as well. Even though they say visitors are welcome, I still felt like I was intruding so I didn’t spend too much time observing before heading to the pond. There are bathrooms right outside the temple as well if you need to use them.
I walked back through the parking lot to get to the trail. It’s a short paved walk to the far side of the pond to get up close to the two 30-foot tall dancing statues of male Hindu saints (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu).
It looks like there are many trails you can explore, but this was the only path I took that morning. Along the way I admired the gazebos, large statues, swans, and roaming peacocks.
Apparently there is free breakfast and lunch at New Vrindaban. When I emailed inquiring about my visit, they shared that the temple serves a hot breakfast at 9 am and lunch at 1:30 pm.
Next Up, the Palace of Gold!
It’s possible to walk to the Palace of Gold from the main temple (it would take about 10 minutes I’m guessing). Since the roads are windy and there was no sidewalk, I decided to drive instead. There is a small parking lot across from the entrance to the Palace of Gold.
The Palace of Gold itself opens at 10 am, and it wasn’t quite 10 am so I decided instead to just walk around the exterior. Touring the inside of the palace costs $12 per adult, and no photos are allowed.
From the parking lot, I entered through a small entryway alongside one of the exterior walls which then leads to a path to the Palace. Despite seeing a couple of parked cars, I didn’t see anyone else. I walked up the stairs past a pair of stone lions, and witnessed a spectacular view. It was a beautiful day that morning.
To the right of the palace is the rose garden and in the back is the lotus pond. You can walk around the full exterior of the building. I happened to also encounter another peacock on my visit there.
Twelve dollars felt like a steep price for a quick tour of the interior of the palace, especially with no photos allowed, but I didn’t feel like I missed out too much. The exterior was just as beautiful to visit.
Overall New Vrindaban and the Palace of Gold was really interesting to learn about. I’m not sure I’d journey more than an hour or two to visit only this site (unless you follow the Hare Krishna movement), but it’s definitely worth it as part of a longer visit!