Moscow Hare Krishnas are fighting for the right to have their own temple

On November 3, in an interview with the Big City newspaper, the official representative of the Society for Krishna Consciousness, Igor Anikanov, commented on the situation around the construction of the Vedic center: “Contrary to rumors, we do not plan to build a Vedic center on the site of the Khodyn tragedy. It will be located closer to the CSKA sports complex. As for the Union of Orthodox Citizens ", then it does not reflect the opinion of all believers. As far as we know - and we met with the Metropolitan - the Orthodox have nothing against construction, especially since we are not talking about a temple, but about a cultural center. For example, in London there are such centers up to thirty-eight."

In December, President of the Association of Indians of Russia Sanjit Kumar Jha and President of the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness Sergey Andreev sent a joint congratulatory message to Yuri Luzhkov on the occasion of his inauguration day. In the message, the leaders of the Hindu community expressed their concern over the plans of the Moscow authorities to demolish the Krishna temple on Khoroshevskoye Highway in Moscow. “This is our only temple in Moscow, the place of our prayers and family celebrations, the venue for our traditional holidays. This is our shrine,” the statement said. “The destruction of the temple will be a severe blow to the Indian community in Moscow and a direct insult to the feelings of Hindu followers around the world, the consequences of which are difficult to predict."

According to Kommersant , in December, Moscow Hare Krishnas threatened to apply to the OSCE to start massive hunger strikes if they were not given land for the construction of the temple in the near future, since, according to their information, the building currently occupied by the temple will be demolished by Donstroy ". The preparatory work, according to them, has already begun, in connection with which the Hare Krishnas cannot hold religious services.

The construction company declined to comment on the situation, explaining that Donstroy does not interfere in the conflict between the mayor's office and the Hare Krishna community. However, the company assured that construction would continue under any circumstances.

At the end of December, about a thousand parishioners of the temple took part in a prayer meeting dedicated to protecting the temple from demolition. According to the president of the Center for Societies for Krishna Consciousness in Russia, Bhakti Vigyan Goswami, in two weeks Yuri Luzhkov received tens of thousands of signatures in support of the temple. Parishioners are supported by figures of science, art and culture. Most of the participants in the Ekho Moskvy poll also believe that there should be a Krishna temple in Moscow.

The Donstroy company has already begun construction work, limiting the access of believers to the temple.

On January 22, 2004, the Sedmitsa.ru website (with reference to RIA Novosti) reported that Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov signed an order to provide the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness with a land plot of about 1 hectare for construction of a religious building.

This decision was welcomed by the President of the Association of Indians of Russia, Sanjit Kumar Jha. "The signing by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov of the order on the allocation of a land plot for the construction of the Vedic Cultural Center can be considered a wonderful gift not only to believing Russian Hare Krishnas, but also to all Indians for their national holiday - Republic Day, celebrated on January 26," he said in his blitz. interview with the press service of the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Meanwhile, as Portal-Credo.ru reported on March 4 , the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness is concerned that it has not yet received documents on the allotment of a land plot for a temple. The Hare Krishnas are worried that they may have to move out of the old premises on Khoroshevka without reliable guarantees regarding the construction of a new temple.

On March 24, during a press conference, the president of the Center for Societies for Krishna Consciousness in Russia, Vadim Tuneev, said that the construction of a Hare Krishna temple could begin as early as late 2004 - early 2005. The project presented to journalists involves the construction of a temple 38.5 m high. Thus, the Hare Krishna temple will be 2.5 times smaller than the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and will not exceed it in size, as representatives of the Orthodox community feared . The participants in the press conference tried to refute all accusations leveled against the Hare Krishnas, and thereby reduce "the tension artificially whipped up by a number of radical near-Orthodox movements around the construction of a Hindu temple in Moscow."

Sources

• "BIG CITY": Sokolov A. Khodynsky passions // Portal-Credo.ru. 2003. November 3rd.
• DOCUMENT: Statement of the Center for Societies for Krishna Consciousness on the Construction of a Vedic Cultural Center in Moscow // There. November 12th.
• Congratulating Yuri Luzhkov on his inauguration, the Hindus of Moscow asked to save their only temple // There. December 19th.
• Kommersant: Krishnaites will be left without a roof // There. December 24th.
• Moscow Hare Krishnas are determined to defend their temple // There. December 29th.
• Moscow Hare Krishnas intend to build a religious building in the northern district of the capital // Week.ru. 2004. January 22.
• Yuri Luzhkov presented Indians with a gift for the Republic Day of India // NEWSru.com. 2004. January 23.
• The Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness is concerned about the lack of documents for land allocation for a new temple // Portal-Credo.ru. 2004. March 4.
• Hare Krishnas hope to begin construction of their temple in Moscow this year // NEWSru.com. 2004. March 24.
• Participants of the press conference in Domzhura condemned the escalation of passions around Hare Krishnas // There. March 25.