Scotland. A land of rolling green hills, of kings, monks, and Celtic warriors.

A land, too, where Sri Chaitanya’s spiritual message took hold, and devotees distributed Srila Prabhupada’s books by the millions, establishing the name of “Gauranga” as a buzzword.

Like all ISKCON communities, it’s been through its struggles. But after a change of management four years ago prompted a rebirth, a renewed ISKCON Scotland is set to relaunch its rural community and only temple Karuna Bhavan on its 25th anniversary during a three-day festival in late May.

Devotees who helped spread Krishna consciousness in Scotland in both the early days and recently, will then joyously celebrate the 40th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s only visit to the country from August 10th to 12th.

The May festival will officially launch exciting new facilities, such as the Gauranga Community Hall, and ‘green’ energy projects, such as the installation of wind turbines, a bio-mass boiler, and an air source heat pump.

Local dignitaries and MPs including Lesmahagow MP Michael McCann will attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the first day. Members of local conservation and green communities will also be present; among them Neil Philips, a chartered energy engineer who will give a talk on renewable technologies.

Meanwhile one hundred local devotees, as well as spiritual dignitiaries Sivarama Swami and Janananda Swami will gather for the second two days of the festival. A large fire yajna will inaugurate the Gauranga Hall, while Krishna conscious dramas, kirtan and prasadam will be plentiful.

It is all, of course, thanks to ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada, who, interestingly, received his academic education at the Scottish Churches’ College in Calcutta, run mainly by Scottish and English missionaries.

He admired their moral uprightness, their gentlemanly, courteous behavior and their kindheartedness, and from July 29th to 31st, 1972 he visited Scotland to return the guesture by giving them the science of Krishna consciousness.

After his visit, Srila Prabhupada wrote to his disciple Kisora Dasa in Edinburgh: “I liked that place Scotland very much when I was there last time, and especially I saw that the Scotsmen were very much inclined toward our preaching.”

Much later, in 1983, one of these Scotsmen, George McMullan, joined ISKCON and became Prabhupada Prana Dasa. He served at Bhaktivedanta Manor in England, since there was no temple in Scotland at the time. But soon, his strong desire to see an ISKCON temple in his own country brought him, along with two other devotees, to the little Scottish village of Lesmahagow.

The village had a rich spiritual history. In the sixth century, Celtic monks of the “Culdee” sect, from ‘ceile de orservusde’ meaning ‘Servant of God’ built and worshipped in a wooden church there. And in 1140, King David founded the Priory Church of St. Machutus on the same site. The monks of the Order of Tiron who ran it followed a simplified liturgy, attracting lay artisans to spiritual life while allowing them to stay within the secular world.

Prabhupada Prana and the other Hare Krishna monks saw a similarity between this and their mission—to teach ‘simple living and high thinking’ as an ingredient that could be added to both the monastic and the civilian lifestyles. Besides, the twelve-acre rural property they found in the village was quiet and peaceful, yet only 21 miles south of Glasgow, where they could distribute books and further spread their mission. So in 1987, Karuna Bhavan was established.

Starting off with only one building, it grew to a community of six buildings on the temple complex, and fourteen residential houses. All this was financed from distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books, an activity which has been Karuna Bhavan’s only source of income up till the present day.

The community thrived in many ways over the years, especially in book distribution – over fifteen million books were distributed in Scotland and the North of England. But problems with the then management, which culminated in 2008, resulted in devotees relocating, a lack of financial resources, and deteriorated relationships with the local people.

Years before, a public inquiry had been made by concerned locals, who were afraid that their little village would be invaded by busloads of Hare Krishnas and Indians. This left Karuna Bhavan with a restriction to only hold seven public programs a year. But the then management didn’t deal responsibly or maturely with the problem.

Prabhupada Prana Dasa, who stepped in as the new temple president, felt that this was an opportunity for a fresh start.

“We made friends with even some of the most previously inimical neighbors,” he says. “We added another access road to our property so that visitors wouldn’t have to go through the village. We offered a local boxer the use of one of our barns to run a self-defense keep fit club to keep deprived local youth off the streets. And I met with the local councilor and planning permission authorities, who were very helpful and glad that we were working with them and going through the proper procedures.”

One year ago, Karuna Bhavan received all the planning permission it needed to hold unlimited public programs. And by the community’s relaunch in May, the brand new Gauranga Hall will be completed. Adjacent to the existing temple, it will serve as a dining hall and all-around function hall for Sunday Feasts, seminars, and retreats, with lighting, a stage, a PA system and projector screens. It will also include a shop, daycare center, playground, and toilet facilities.

Meanwhile, to deal with the lack of financial resources, Prabhupada Prana invested some of the money the community did have in three renewable technologies: a gasification log boiler, solar thermal panels, and an air source heat pump.

The boiler, which is CO2 emmission-free by using wood rather than gas or oil, supplies the heat and hot water for the temple and Gauranga Hall. It is assisted in this task by the solar thermal panels, installed on the roofs of the buildings. And the air source heat pump draws heat from the air to heat one of Karuna Bhavan’s three greenhouses.

These three technologies save 164,211 KWh of fossil fuel energy, 33,318kg of CO2, and £6,891 per year. Meanwhile, two wind turbines installed recently provide electricity and produce 60,000 to 72,000 kWh of energy per year, while saving £24,000. A payback from the Scottish government’s Renewable Heat Incentive further helps to cut overheads.

“Although some of our other buildings still depend on gas for heating, we do hope to be self-reliant on our own energy production in the future,” says Prabhupada Prana.

Another area where Karuna Bhavan hopes to become self-sufficient is in growing flowers for their Deities Sri Sri Khoda-Nitai Mayapur-Sasi, as well as vegetables and other crops. Currently there are three large greenhouses, a one-acre walled-in garden, and a one-acre orchard which are tended to year-round, as well as six acres of as yet uncultivated agricultural land.

In January 2010, Karuna Bhavan became a member of the WWOOF program (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), drawing people from all walks of life to help the community in its self sufficiency efforts and experience the simple living, high thinking lifestyle for themselves in the process.

Travelers, often in their early twenties, from China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, America, Canada, France, Holland, and more work in the organic garden for thirty hours a week. In return, they’re given comfortable accommodation, three prasadam meals a day, laundry facilities, and Internet access. Throughout the year, there may be anywhere between three, and, in the peak summer months, nineteen WWOOFers helping out.

“It’s a major boost for our self-sufficiency projects,” Prabhupada Prana says. “The gardening used to be a one-man department, but now one of the WWOOFers has committed to managing the agricultural side, so that our devotee staff member can focus on growing flowers for the Deities.”

WWOOFers also show an interest in the spiritual life at Karuna Bhavan. In fact, since the advertising for the WWOOF program explicitly states that it’s a Hare Krishna community, some come specifically for that reason. They may have met devotees before, read a book, or be an inquisitive religion student or teacher. Others, of course, may come simply for the work or to acquire tips on how to set up their own farm community. And these not fear any proselytizing.

“We have a no preaching policy, and tell people they have no obligation to take part in any of the temple programs,” Prabhupada Prana says. “This is an important rule of the WWOOF program. Interestingly, though, I think it has actually helped people become more favorable. Because they don’t feel any pressure, they come of their own accord.”

One girl from Spain, who had taken up chanting japa while at Karuna Bhavan, wrote simply, “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare” in the community’s guestbook upon leaving. Two girls from Australia and Africa were so intrigued by an upcoming festival that they ordered themselves some saris over the Internet in order to get the full experience. Two young men from France stayed a full month, and despite having no prior interest in spirituality, attended the Gaura Purnima festival. They loved it so much that they asked to be put in touch with the ISKCON temple in France, and visit there regularly now.

Another Frenchman, Nicolai, became so inspired after staying for several months, that he purchased and studied the Srimad-Bhagavatam in French, and is now a devotee and an enthusiastic member of Karuna Bhavan’s travelling book distribution team.

Meanwhile, Karuna Bhavan is thriving in a host of other areas, too. Devotees distribute books in Glasgow and other cities daily, hold weekly namahatta congregational programs in Scotland and Northern England, and organize regular festivals in public halls. Prabhupada Prana has been invited to serve as the Hindu Chaplain for Glasgow’s Caledonian University. And devotees have begun offering tours of Karuna Bhavan and its organic gardens to schools.

“We’re also planning to start Food for Life this year for the first time in Scotland,” says Prabhupada Prana. “And we’ll be offering a three-month bhakta program in the summer, for new people to come and take part in full-time devotional service.”

Perhaps the most thrilling moment in recent times for ISKCON Scotland, however, was the country’s first Rathayatra in thirty years, held in 2010. Celebrated in the capital city of Edinburgh as part of a larger parade, it saw 100,000 people cheering the devotees on from the roadside.

“It was the first Rathayatra most of our devotees had ever seen in Scotland,” Prabhupada Prana says. “It was wonderful—a kind of victory for all the many years of sankirtan and surrender they had given.”

He concludes: “We’re definitely beginning a rebirth for ISKCON Scotland. We may not have the same manpower or funds as we did years ago. But if we put our faith in Krishna, I know he’ll help us make it work.”

Anyone interested in either participating in or helping with Karuna Bhavan’s bhakta program this summer is invited to contact Prabhupada Prana Dasa at pranagm at gmail dot com. (Spelled out to protect against spam. Please use regular email format)

If you helped with preaching in Scotland in early or recent days, please also contact Prabhupada Prana early for details on and accommodation at the Karuna Bhavan reunion from August 10th to 12th.