Rebuilding its temple

Like most Hare Krishna temples in North America, New Vrindaban now depends on Indian professionals for donations and new blood.

Indians comprise at least half the congregation in several North American temples, including Los Angeles, Toronto, and Washington, D.C., as well as most New Vrindaban visitors.

Gauranga, 36, a Bombay monk and former computer programmer leading the seminars, said he puts the lessons of the Bhagavad Gita scriptures in terms the new followers can relate to: "How does the hard drive of the mind crash, and how do you restore it?"

"It really doesn't matter who the temple builders are, if they're Indians or Americans. It's the same god, and all the prayers go to him," said Sai Chandrasekharan, 29, an electrical engineer who drove up from North Carolina with his wife for the weekend.

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