Marking its 20th anniversary, organizers planned event to bring community together and thank for years of support
The Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork celebrated 20 years since it opened its doors to the public on June 20.
The celebration included several guest speakers and upwards of 1,000 visitors to help commemorate the milestone.
According to event organizer and devout Krishana, Chara Das, the event accomplished what it set out to do: bring the community together.
“We wanted to have an event where people of all beliefs could come and celebrate,” Das said. “We also wanted to thank the community for being so accepting and supportive of us over the years.”
While the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple has been in Spanish Fork for 20 years, Das said that he and other Krishana worshipers have been practicing in the area since 1980 — at times, out of a log cabin.
He said that had it not been for the local community as well as other religious organizations, the temple may not have been possible.
“Opening a temple in an area where there is a dominant religion isn’t easy, but we have really been accepted and supported by the community,” Das said. “The LDS community took us under their wing and made sure we were able to worship — even donating money to help with the construction of the temple. The support that the LDS community has given is really a template that other organizations should follow.”
The event on June 20, Das said, was a traditional Krishana gathering, complete with an Indian dance program, a large multi-course vegetarian feast, and chanting.
According to Das, seeing so many people from many different walks of life and beliefs come together, was what made the event so special.
“It doesn’t matter what church you belong to; if you believe in a supreme being, you have a connection,” Das said. “We are all living entities and spirits created by God. We are all children of the same God, and we should never allow our beliefs to separate us.”
Das said that with the success of the 20th anniversary event, he is looking forward to the Festival of Colors (that is normally in the spring) that will be held Sept. 25-26.
For more information on that event, go to festivalofcolorsusa.com. (Brown is a Serve Daily contributor.)
