Followers Around the World

Followers of Bhakti, also known as Bhaktas or Vaishnavas, are devotees of Krishna or His primary expansions, such as Rama or Narayana.

According to the 1996 Britannica Book of the Year, there are about 560 million Vaishnavas worldwide. Vaishnavism claims the largest number of followers among the various sects in India.

ISKCON, or the Hare Krishna movement, is an orthodox branch of Vaishnavism with nearly four hundred temples worldwide. In addition, ISKCON helps thousands of its congregation members conduct regular meetings in their homes.

History of the Hare Krishna Movement

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) commonly known in the West as the Hare Krishna Movement comes in a tradition that traces all the way back to Lord Krishna Himself. ISKCON was founded in New York in 1966 by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), referred to as Srila Prabhupada. His spiritual teacher, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, asked him to teach Bhakti to the English-speaking world.