By Radhapriya
The Muskoka Cultural Centre in Huntsville, Ontario celebrated its Grand Opening during the 3rd week of May 2024, with the aim of spreading Krishna Consciousness, prasadam, and kirtan in a welcoming environment to the local and larger community.
By Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, devotees are always trying to spread goodwill through the preaching of bhakti-yoga. One aspect of that is bringing people access to Vedic literature, darshan of the Lord, prasadam, kirtan, and association through centres of worship.
With this goal in mind, a few devotees, under the guidance of Bhaktimarga Swami, came together in 2021 with a dream to open a centre in cottage country in Northern Ontario, Canada. Initially, the idea was to look for a facility for seniors to live in a community of like-minded Krishna-conscious individuals. However, a unique opportunity presented itself. Often, devotees are able to procure and convert churches into temples; in this case, a building with two adjacent movie houses in the heart of Huntsville, Muskoka, became available.
The building had immense potential with its high ceilings, lobby, concession area, and location right on Main Street, where tourists and locals converge. A lot of work, creativity, skills, and acumen were involved. Lajpat Prasher and his son Ravi brought their expertise in building and design as well as the financial backing to make the project a reality; Vyasacarya Das and his brother Jay Gopal Das, who have a background in lodging, brought their hospitality and people skills; and Bhaktimarga Swami served as a spiritual guide. Many “Brahmanstorming” sessions were held in Srila Prabhupada’s quarters at ISKCON Toronto.
Two and a half years since the seed of the dream, the Muskoka Krishna Cultural Centre came to fruition. The facility is located in Huntsville, Ontario, which is approximately 215 kilometers (134 miles) north of Toronto, a hilly terrain in the center of the Canadian Shield, the world’s oldest rock, and dotted with many lakes and natural surroundings. The Centre is a three-minute walk from the Muskoka River and right next to the Trans Canada Trail, the longest multi-use trail system in the world at 28,000 kilometers, which traverses all across Canada.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/canadian-devotees-open-unique-cultural-centre-in-northern-ontario/
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