ISKCON of Houston (Hare Krishna Temple)
Houston, Texas, USA
- Deities
- Radha Nila-Madhava, Giriraj Govardhan, Radha Giridhari
- Traditions
- vaishnava
- Worship status
- active
- Address
- 1320 W 34th St, Houston, TX 77018.
- Coordinates
- 29.8178, -95.4237
- Darshan hours
- Morning 4:30 AM–12:30 PM and evening 4:30–9:15 PM, with the deity curtains closed 11:30 AM–12:00 PM and 6:30–7:00 PM; consult the temple's own website for current details.
- Best time to visit
- Major festivals such as Janmashtami and the temple's Bhadra Purnima / Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Appearance Day observances.
- How to reach
- At 1320 W 34th Street in Houston; reachable by car.
- Festivals
- Janmashtami (August/September), Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Appearance Day (September), Dussehra (October)
- Associated saints
- A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Location
Open in Google MapsISKCON of Houston traces its roots to 1972, when devotees first began preaching in the area, holding early services around pictures of the Deities in a home in the Montrose district. The community moved to Rosalie Street in downtown Houston in 1974, where its first Deities, Sri Sri Nitai Chandra and Sri Sri Chaitanya Chandra, were installed, and it was officially incorporated as a non-profit in 1977. In 1984 the community relocated to its present site on West 34th Street, a former church building, and after renovation installed its presiding Deities, Sri Sri Radha Nila-Madhava, in 1986. Two more deity forms followed: Sri Sri Giriraj Govardhan in 1989 and Sri Sri Radha Giridhari in 1992. Gauranga Hall, a dedicated community events space, was built in 1996, and in 2014 the Deities moved into a newly built marble temple with a custom teakwood altar. Today the temple offers daily deity worship, kirtan and meditation programs, and teaching from the Bhagavad Gita, alongside cultural festivals with vegetarian cuisine. Alongside temple worship, the community runs affiliated projects including a vegetarian restaurant (Govinda’s), an apartment complex (Govardhan Palace Apartments), an academy, and an urban farm. It observes the standard Gaudiya Vaishnava festival calendar, including Janmashtami and Dussehra.
Sources
- historical record: Checked against the temple's own official website (iskconhouston.org), which gives its address, darshan schedule, and festival calendar, and describes it as ISKCON of Houston / International Society for Krishna Consciousness of Houston. Address independently confirmed via OpenStreetMap, which tags the location as 'Hare Krishna Temple' at 1320 W 34th St. This entry could not independently confirm an alternate/community name (e.g. 'New Panihati Dham') for the site in this research pass.
- historical record: iskconhouston.org 'Our Community' history page (fetched during Wave 2 re-verification): devotees first began preaching in Houston in 1972, initially using pictures of the Deities in a home in the Montrose district; the community moved to Rosalie Street in downtown Houston in 1974, where its first Deities, Sri Sri Nitai Chandra and Sri Sri Chaitanya Chandra, were installed; it was officially incorporated as a non-profit in 1977; a second, smaller set of Deities was installed in 1979; the community moved to its present West 34th Street location, a former church, in 1984; after renovation, the presiding Deities, Sri Sri Radha Nila-Madhava, were installed in 1986; Sri Sri Giriraj Govardhan arrived in 1989 and Sri Sri Radha Giridhari in 1992; Gauranga Hall was built in 1996 to host community functions; and the Deities moved into a new marble temple with a custom teakwood altar in 2014. This resolves the prior review flag about an unconfirmed founding year and corrects the presiding-deity name, previously listed generically as 'Radha Krishna.'