The Hare Krishna is the commonly used name for the International Society of Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON, for short. This is a religious movement that came out of Hinduism. The movement was founded in New York in 1965 when Swami Prabhupada moved there from India. He and his followers moved to the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco in 1967. The movement spread rapidly. When the Beatle George Harrison expressed interest in the Hare Krishna movement it became even more popular. The movement came under criticism in the 1970′s and 1980′s from the anti-cult groups organizing at the time. Because of their unusual dress and practices such as chanting in public, they were mistrusted.

Hare Krishnas use the same scriptures and follow teachings and practices that are common in Hinduism. People are free to join ISKCON and then leave if they find it is not right for them. Most mainstream Hindus consider the Hare Krishnas to be an authentic sect within Hinduism.

There are approximately 250,000 devotees. Some are “congregational members” which means they live and work in a normal fashion, just attending temple for worship purposes. “Temple-based members” live in the temple and tend to lead a more ascetic lifestyle. Male members dress in saffron or white robes and shave their heads, while women wear bright saris.

Their main practices include avoiding drugs or alcohol, eating a vegetarian diet, practicing celibacy except for procreation within marriage, evangelism, and chanting. The chanting of mantras is the primary religious ritual.