Visiting the Radha Kalachandji Temple near Fair Park in Dallas was truly a cultural delight. Having lived in Dallas for many years, I am surprised at how I had not even heard of the temple with its wonderful adjacent restaurant earlier; there is just so much history behind the outwardly normal appearance of the temple — which itself used to be a church. The story of this Hare Krishna temple traces back to A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the ICKSON movement, who first came to the U.S. in the sixties from India to spread Hinduism to the West. Once you enter the temple, you are greeted by sweet incense that is not overbearing yet tastefully balanced. It is respectful to take off shoes before entering the shrine area of the temple itself. This area, which used to be the basketball court of the church prior, houses wonderful paintings all around its walls by BJ Sharma, an award-winning painter from Rajasthan, India. These beautiful canvases depict stories of Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita, and they tell us how enamored everyone who ever crossed paths with Krishna became. Moreover, there is a throne with an effigy of founder Srila Prabhupada to whom devotees may pay their respects to. However, the main focus of the temple is the Kalachandji shrine depicting Krishna. It is over five hundred years old and was brought to Dallas from India specifically for this temple. It is finely carved and ornate. From it, a ‘Hare Krishna’ chant is played. During the course of my visit, I observed several worshippers approach the shrine and pray both seated and erect.

Our guide, Prabhupad, a priest of Krishna, was very intelligent and amicable. He told us about the temple’s history and he proved very knowledgeable regarding the paintings and the shrines. His Hindu education has led him to specialize in a particular strain of Hinduism that espouses a monotheistic nature of the universe. Through analogies discussing time relativity and the similarity between Jesus and Krishna, he defogged some of the confusing misconceptions I had going in about Hinduism. I asked him if he read or studied the Upanishads or the Rig Vedas or other Hindu holy works, but he stated that attempting to study all Hindu works would take more than a lifespan; therefore, specialization is key and his is the Bhagavad Gita.

Kalachandji’s Restaurant which is quite literally attached to the temple has been Dallas’ earliest vegetarian establishment. In my experience, it was exquisite. Although it was not fine dining by any means, it was homely and simple — very appealing. Gone were the strains of societal etiquette and such. There was only faith, food, and humanity which I believe all go hand-in-hand. The buffet catered to a wide variety of tastes and senses, and I am certain that everyone could find something that appealed to him or herself. Personally, I enjoyed the dry roasted okra and chana masala (chickpea curry). For dessert, I tasted some kheer — rice pudding — that provided the cherry on top for my meal.