America's Taj Mahal: Prabhupada's Palace of Gold

Hidden in the Appalachian hills of northern West Virginia, just outside a town called Moundsville, sits an architectural anomaly that feels entirely out of place. It is a structure of marble, gold leaf, and intricate stained glass known as Prabhupada's Palace of Gold. To a first-time visitor, it looks like a piece of royal India was somehow airlifted and dropped into an American coal-mining region.

The story of the Palace is not just a religious history; it is a quintessential "DIY" American immigrant story -- one that began with a modest plan for a simple house and evolved into what The New York Times once called "America's Taj Mahal."

The Visionary and the Volunteers

The story begins in 1966 with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a 70-year-old monk who arrived in New York City from India with almost no money. He founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement. By the early 1970s, his followers had established a farm community in West Virginia called New Vrindaban, intended to be a spiritual commune focused on "simple living and high thinking."

In 1973, the devotees decided to build a simple, ranch-style home for Prabhupada so he could write his books in the quiet of the countryside. They weren't architects or professional builders; they were mostly young American counter-culture converts -- former hippies and college students -- who learned construction skills on the fly by reading manuals and experimenting.

From House to Palace

As the project progressed, the followers’ devotion transformed the modest plan into something far more ambitious. When Prabhupada passed away in 1977 before the building was finished, the project’s purpose shifted. It was no longer a residence; it became a memorial shrine (a smriti samadhi) dedicated to their founder.

Because they lacked a massive budget, the devotees did almost everything by hand. They taught themselves how to cast gold-veined mirrors, carve intricate wood panels, and work with marble. Over several years, they imported over 50 types of marble and applied more than eight pounds of 22-karat gold leaf to the structure’s domes and accents. The result was a stunning display of "devotional art" -- a fusion of Eastern religious motifs and Western craftsmanship.

Fame and Controversy

When the Palace opened to the public in 1979, it became an overnight sensation. During the 1980s, it was a major tourist destination, drawing nearly 150,000 visitors a year. People traveled from all over the world to see the "miracle in the hills."

However, the late 80s brought a dark chapter. The New Vrindaban community was rocked by leadership scandals, legal battles, and internal strife. For a period, the Palace fell into a state of neglect. The harsh Appalachian winters began to wear down the delicate gold leaf and the intricate stonework. The "Taj Mahal" was at risk of crumbling.

The Modern Renaissance

In the last decade, the Palace of Gold has undergone a massive restoration. The community shifted its focus toward transparency and preservation, reclaiming the site as both a place of pilgrimage and a historic landmark.

Today, the Palace remains an incredible sensory experience. Visitors walk through manicured rose gardens featuring hundreds of varieties and past a large koi pond with fountains. Inside, the floors are polished marble, the ceilings are hand-painted, and the walls are adorned with "Vasari" style murals depicting scenes from ancient Indian texts.

You don't have to be a devotee to appreciate the site. For the secular visitor, the Palace is a testament to human obsession and grit. It represents a moment in American history when a group of young people, driven by a singular idea, built something objectively beautiful in the middle of nowhere using little more than library books and manual labor.

It stands as a strange, shimmering monument to the idea that with enough conviction, the exotic can become local, and a West Virginia ridge can become a gateway to another world.

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Maps of the grounds

In the Photos section, below, you will find a map of New Vrindaban, the unincorporated community in which the Palace, the Temple, and the rest of the associated grounds are located.

You will also find a map of the hiking trails of New Vrindaban, and also a screen shot of some other notes about the area.

Summary

For this event, we will explore the area of New Vrindaban, including the Temple, Goshala (cow sanctuary), the Peacock Walk, the Sri Sri Gaura Nitai (large statues of Krishna and his older brother Balarama), the gift shop, and of course, the Palace of Gold itself (which includes the Rose Garden and the Lotus Pond).

I'm not closed to the idea of also doing an abbreviated hike down the Bhagavad-gita Trail and back (it's a mile each way), and possibly half of the Govardhan Trail to the Palace (which would be about half a mile). It's West Virginia backcountry and completely gorgeous scenery.

The problem is that New Vrindaban itself is big enough and just seeing it will take some time, and I consider it to be the main selling point of this event, not the hiking (though the hiking is just incredible). So we won't plan for this, but we'll leave open the possibility just in case...

At the end of the event, we'll grab dinner at the onsite Govinda's Restaurant before heading back to C-bus.

"Eric, what is 'Krishna' and why should I care?"

Hare Krishna consciousness is basically a monotheistic offshoot of Hinduism. In this philosophy, Lord Krishna is god himself. Balarama is Krishna's older brother, though Balarama is really Krishna (technically, a "plenary expansion") as well. If you read the literature (all of which was written by Prabhupada himself), Krishna kills a lot of demons along with other sorts of humanity-saving and mesmerizing activities, but occasionally Balarama will kill a demon here and there, too.

Really, Prabhupada was writing astrology* with some Exodus and a little Vivid Video thrown in, garnished by a smidge of Jim Jones. The Temple services can be redolent of a Pentecostal church, yet they can also be quiet and serene. But the area of New Vrindaban is so peaceful, beautiful, tranquil, and idyllic, that it really needs to be seen to be appreciated. And sitting in the Temple during quiet times can be incredibly relaxing.

Yes, the whole facility's a couple hours east of Columbus, but if you put aside any sort of concern or interest in the religiosity of the place and see it instead as a marvel of nature and aesthetics, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy seeing it. I also almost got murdered by a peacock here once.

* I'm being a little facetious here, in that he certainly didn't consciously see himself as an astrologer, though he does literally use the word in a couple places in his writing.

Tickets and pricing

The tour of the Palace is $12. They take credit cards. Everything else is free. (I mean, the restaurant and gift shop aren't free, but you take my point.)

Parking is free.

Where we'll meet

If you just type "Prabhupada's Palace of Gold" into Google Maps, you'll actually be going to the wrong the place. Yes, we're doing the Palace, but we're going to walk up there; we're not meeting at the Palace.

We're going to meet at the Welcome Center. If you type "Prabhupada's Palace of Gold" into Google Maps, the route Maps will give you will actually take you by the Welcome Center. So technically, you could navigate this way.

However, I'd recommend either using the map pin I've provided here, or type "Welcome Center, ISKCON New Vrindaban" into Maps.

When you pull in, you'll see three temporary 30-minute parking spots for lodge guests to unload their cars. Just make a right and drive in a half circle to the parking lot on the other side. It's possible you may see some spots along the half-circle as well where you can park, but you'll certainly find spots on the other side; you just have to drive around the half-circle to get to those spots.

Trust me, it's not nearly as complicated as I'm making it sound. No matter where you end up parking, you're not to be that far away from the Welcome Center.

Cell service and GPS

The Welcome Center, Temple, and restaurant (which are all clustered in the same place) all have free Wi-Fi, and it's actually pretty good Wi-Fi (it's a good strong signal; the password is on the door to the Welcome Center). You may not have cell service down here though; this area's at the bottom of a hill.

Up at the Palace, which is at the top of the hill, you may actually get cell service. I have Verizon (and Android), and I actually was getting a couple bars at the top of the hill, but nothing down by the Welcome Center.

New Vrindaban is maybe 25 minutes away from I-470. I was actually getting cell service most of the way until I got almost all the way to New Vrindaban. The first time I went, I hadn't thought to download an offline map in Google Maps, and my GPS got me there fine anyway.

You might want to download an offline map before you go, but I haven't and I actually haven't had any problems. Subject to the caveat about being at the bottom of the hill, I actually think the cell service here is better than at Hocking Hills.

Gas stations

There are no gas stations anywhere near where we'll be. And the route Google Maps will likely take you on may not naturally go by any once you exit I-470 in West Virginia (though oddly, it seems more likely to take you by them on your way back).

I drive a Corolla hatchback with a six-speed manual transmission. I can get to the Palace and back to Columbus without gassing up along the way. The real upshot here is that, if the car you drive likes gas at all or you otherwise have any doubt, fill up in St. Clairsville* or something before you cross over into West Virginia so that you don't have to think about it.

* The Mall Rd exit (# 218) off of I-70 has a zillion gas stations, and it probably represents your last best chance to get gas before you get to the Mountain State.

Restrooms and water fountains

The Temple, restaurant, and Palace all have restrooms. The Temple has a water fountain. So does the Palace, technically, except the Palace water fountain is out of service as of this writing. So unless it's fixed by then, you won't have any water at the top of the hill unless you bring your own.

Caffeine and alcohol

You can't get caffeinated or alcoholic beverages of any kind at the restaurant or in New Vrindaban. I'm not saying you'd get in any trouble if you walked around with a cup of coffee (trust me, no one would say anything to you). But I am saying that, if do decide you want a cup of coffee or a Diet Pepsi, you're not going to be able to get one any place we'll be at.

Shoes

To enter the (holy part of the) Temple, you have to take your shoes off (either socks or bare feet are okay). On the Palace tour, you have to either take your shoes off or wear coverings (that they provide for free) over your shoes.

We'll be doing some walking as well at this event, so be sure the shoes you wear are comfortable. You won't need hiking shoes, but you will need to be prepared to walk a few miles (possibly as many as four or five) as we tour the grounds.

Anyway, you might not need them, but you might want to bring an extra pair of socks just in case. I usually bring an extra pair when I come here.

Govinda's Restaurant

I've posted a picture, below, of Govinda's menu. I had the Indian food once that they served in the Temple, and other than the rice and maybe some cucumber slices, I don't know what any of it was called, but it was all pretty good.

I've also uploaded a picture of the cooler where they keep (most of) the beverages they sell so you can see what the options are. Next to this cooler (unpictured by me) is one of those fruit juice dispensers that you've seen a million times that looks like this. I don't know what flavors they serve, but I'm sure they're fruity and delicious.

Govinda's is a vegetarian restaurant. I'm not even a little bit of a vegetarian, but I've had both the cheese and vegetable pizzas and they were both good. I liked the veggie pizza better, though. The pizzas are 16 inches, which is a typical extra-large at most places. It's a hand-tossed style crust (that happy medium between thin and thick). It's a lot of pizza.

Please note, if you want water at the Restaurant, you'll either have to buy it or have a water bottle you can fill up at the Temple which is literally right next door.

Peroration

As with all the events that I run, I have done the hard work of getting lost many times in my explorations of this area so you don't have to. (I'll have you know I even lowered myself to asking for directions once. It was the most humiliating six seconds of my life, and the shame still haunts me.) Use my selfless hardships to your advantage, and come on out and see what CNN has called one of the "eight religious wonders to see in the United States."

The Palace and the surrounding area are making a comeback (thanks, in no small part, it must be admitted, to the puddle of natural gas they sit on), and, as always, the forward-thinking denizens of GOhio! are here to help you get in on the ground floor and count yourself among the cool kids who got there first. (Remember, even though the first investors in McDonald's can no longer get a good hamburger, they're still quadrillionaires today.)

Come see America's Taj Mahal. It's an experience you'll never forget.