page_title: Radha Krishna Temple
section_title: Establishing the London temple, and Prabhupada's first visit
hierarchical_section_title: Radha Krishna Temple / Establishing the London temple, and Prabhupada's first visit
caption_attribution_description: English: Malati Dasi (left) on a walk with Bhaktivedanta Swami in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India
context_page_description: It was founded in Bury Place, Bloomsbury, by six devotees from San Francisco's Radha Krishna Temple, who were sent by ISKCON leader A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to establish a UK branch of the movement in 1968. The Temple came to prominence through George Harrison of the Beatles publicly aligning himself with Krishna consciousness. Among the six initial representatives in London, devotees Mukunda, Shyamsundar and Malati all went on to hold senior positions in the rapidly growing ISKCON organisation.
  As Radha Krishna Temple, the Temple devotees recorded an album of devotional music with Harrison, which was issued on the Beatles' Apple record label in 1971. Among these recordings were "Hare Krishna Mantra", an international hit single in 1969 that helped popularise the Maha Mantra in the West, and "Govinda". With Harrison's financial support, the Radha Krishna Temple secured its first permanent premises, at Bury Place in central London, then acquired a country property in Hertfordshire, known as Bhaktivedanta Manor. In 1979, following legal proceedings over the use of the Bury Place site, the central London temple moved to a new premises at Soho Square.
context_section_description: Prabhupada was pleased with his disciples' progress but had stated that he would only visit London once they had established a formal ISKCON temple. For this purpose, Mukunda found a seven-storey premises at 7 Bury Place, close to the British Museum in London's Bloomsbury area, for which Harrison was co-signee on the lease and helped fund. Gurudas has spoken of the problems the devotees experienced, with complaints being made against them by their former neighbours, and objections being raised by members of the community at Bury Place, and that it was only through Harrison's guarantee that they were able to secure the new site.
  With the building in a state of disrepair, Lennon offered the Temple devotees temporary accommodation on his recently purchased estate, Tittenhurst Park, near Ascot, while renovations were underway at Bury Place. The devotees occupied the servants' quarters at Tittenhurst Park, close to the main house, and assisted in their hosts' renovation of the 72-acre property. 
  In September 1969, Prabhupada finally came to visit the new UK base, reuniting with his disciples and meeting Harrison and Lennon for the first time. Held in a former recital hall in the grounds of Tittenhurst Park, Prabhupada's meeting with the two Beatles and Yoko Ono, Lennon's wife, led to a philosophical discussion about topics such as the Bhagavad Gita, mantras and Krishna. Their conversation was taped by Shyamsundar and later made available as Lennon '69: Search for Liberation, the first publication in Mukunda's Vedic Contemporary Library Series. Of the two bandmates, Lennon was the one most impressed with Prabhupada initially. Harrison, who was preoccupied with news that his mother had been taken severely ill, later admitted to having underestimated the acharya at first.
  Prabhupada stayed in a guesthouse at Tittenhurst Park, at Lennon's invitation. The recital hall – which had been one of the locations for what would turn out to be the Beatles' final photo shoot as a band, on 22 August 1969 – became known as "the Tittenhurst Temple" from this point.
  In what Gurudas would deem "not the best move", the devotees' numbers had been bolstered with some recent recruits who provided a disruptive influence. As a result, Prabhupada's followers "outstayed their welcome" at Lennon's home, according to author Alan Clayson, while Joshua Greene writes of the devotees later recalling "few … friendly exchanges with their hosts" there, compared to the warm relationship they shared with Harrison.
  In December 1969, Prabhupada and the devotees – which now numbered 25, in Gurudas' estimation – moved into the new Radha Krishna Temple at Bury Place. The location allowed for easy access to Oxford Street, which continued to be the Krishnas' main area of interaction with the public in central London. Harrison donated the temple's altar, which was made of Siena marble selected by his sculptor friend David Wynne.
caption: Malati with Prabhupada in Vrindavan in 1975
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