Russian Sanyasi in India to Raise Money for ISKON Temple in Moscow

March 8, 2004

Source: Express India

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=29112

On March 8, 2004 Express India reported, "Bhaktivigyan Goswami Maharaj, Russia’s first sanyasi...is in Mumbai to propagate Krishna consciousness and seek funds for a massive Krishna temple in the heart of Moscow. Seated at the spacious lecture hall of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Chowpatty, the 48-year-old adjusts his saffron robes, saying: 'It’s been a long struggle for Krishna’s followers in Russia. The government has allotted 2.5 acres of land for a temple at Leningrad Sky Prospect, a 10-minute drive from Kremlin. It will be a massive structure, inspired both by traditional and modern architecture...There are 60-70 million Krishna followers in Russia, around 10,000 in Moscow alone. The movement’s flourishing there,' says the guru, who has even faced prosecution by the KGB, the former Russian intelligence agency. Many of his colleagues were jailed. Three of them, he recalls, died after being tortured. 'We endured all sorts of hardships. We still face opposition from the orthodox Church in Russia. But we will not stop our mission.'"