A Small Centre with a Living Heart
A small, independent Kṛṣṇa conscious charity rooted firmly in the teachings and vision of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
The Hare Krishna Centre has never tried primarily to become large. Its strength has always been something more personal: a place where people can chant, ask questions, take prasādam, find service and gradually come closer to Kṛṣṇa.
Beginning Again
The charity, formally registered as the Hare Krishna Centre for Vedic Studies, was established on 26 October 2004.
Its beginnings, however, were far from comfortable. After approximately ten years of service as temple president of ISKCON Leicester, a major change in local management left Gauranga Sundara dāsa and a group of brahmacārīs and brahmacāriṇīs without their previous services or a secure place within the existing temple structure.
Many devotees dispersed. A small group remained together. The devotees gathered at 28 Evington Road and began again.
The building had originally been a shopfront with living accommodation above. But they had somewhere to stay, they had one another, and above all they needed service.
The devotees wanted to distribute Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, share prasādam, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, teach, preach and give others the same opportunities for devotional life.
Indraprastha Āśrama
The early devotees sometimes compared their situation to that of the Pāṇḍavas. They felt exiled.
So, with a mixture of seriousness and humour, they called their little base Indraprastha Āśrama.
The front room had large shop windows, reminding the devotees of Matchless Gifts, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s small storefront at 26 Second Avenue in New York.
Across the Leicester shopfront they placed the words MATCHLESS GIFTS, modelled on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s original centre.
There was never actually a shop. The words were symbolic: a reminder that something spiritually significant could begin in a very small room.
A Registration Certificate at Exactly the Right Time
Establishing another Kṛṣṇa conscious charity in Leicester was not welcomed by everyone. The registration was challenged, and the Charity Commission examined objections before granting approval. Meanwhile, the devotees continued distributing books,preaching and serving. Then one day the police arrived after a complaint had been made that the devotees were collecting donations without being a registered charity. By Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement, the official charity registration certificate had arrived the previous day.
Going to Vṛndāvana — and Finding Gaura-Nitāi
Śrī Śrī Nitāi Śacī Sundar
Around the time these changes were taking place, Gauranga Sundara and Nandini Mataji travelled to Vṛndāvana. They had been looking for Gaura-Nitāi Deities for some time.
Towards the end of the visit they found beautiful Gaura-Nitāi Deities who immediately stood out from everything they had seen before.
They brought Them personally back to Leicester. In the spring of 2005, Puri Maharaja performed the installation and gave the Deities Their names: Śrī Śrī Nitāi Śacī Sundar.
That installation marked, in a very real sense, the beginning of the Hare Krishna Centre as it is known today.
“The Hare Krishna Centre has never tried primarily to become large. It has tried to remain alive.”Hare Krishna Centre Leicester
Taking Prasādam to Leicester
From the beginning, preaching meant going outside. The Centre’s location close to Leicester University offered an obvious opportunity.
Devotees regularly distributed prasādam on campus. For a time the operation involved a bicycle rickshaw fitted with a homemade bright-yellow box large enough to carry containers of prasādam.
Devotees also distributed prasādam in Leicester city centre. Four or five devotees serving hot food could create a queue stretching perhaps twenty metres down the street.
People came, ate, asked questions and encountered Kṛṣṇa consciousness through something as simple as a plate of sanctified food.
Firmly Rooted in Śrīla Prabhupāda
Hear & Chant
Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, hear about Kṛṣṇa and keep spiritual practice at the centre of community life.
Teach & Distribute
Share Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, teach Bhagavad-gītā and make transcendental knowledge accessible.
Serve & Nourish
Worship Kṛṣṇa, share prasādam, create service opportunities and help devotees make spiritual progress.
A Living Community
Saturday Sadhu-saṅga
Beginning at 7 PM with ārati, followed by kīrtana, a spiritual talk, discussion and finally prasādam. Whether six people attend or twenty, everyone can participate.
Bhagavad-gītā Workshop
An online programme that grew out of the pandemic and now allows people from different cities and countries to join kīrtana, study and discussion.
Vaiṣṇava Festivals
Major Vaiṣṇava festivals are celebrated throughout the year, including the Centre’s distinctive Gītā Jayantī programme with a complete recitation of the Bhagavad-gītā.
Personal Spiritual Growth
Devotees connected with the Centre can now receive structured personal guidance toward increasingly serious sādhana, commitment and, when appropriately qualified, initiation.
The League of Devotees
The Hare Krishna Centre Leicester is today one of the three founding members of the League of Devotees, an independent network of Kṛṣṇa conscious projects cooperating in preaching, spiritual education, festivals, association and guidance.
The network has brought the Leicester Centre into close association with devotees and spiritual teachers from other projects, particularly in Britain and France.
These relationships have opened a new period of cooperation and exchange after many years in which the Leicester community largely had to find its own way forward.
Twenty-One Years of Service
In 2026 the Hare Krishna Centre celebrated its twenty-first anniversary. The little shopfront remained. The Deities remained. The chanting continued. Bhagavad-gītā continued to be taught. Prasādam continued to be served. New people continued to walk through the door.
Why Leicester Needs the Hare Krishna Centre
Leicester is a large and extraordinarily diverse city. There is room for more than one place where people can encounter the teachings and practices of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The Hare Krishna Centre does not need to become enormous to fulfil its purpose. Its strength lies partly in remaining personal.
Someone can walk through the door and be known. Ask a question. Sit close to the kīrtana. Take prasādam. Speak directly with devotees. Come back next week.
And gradually perhaps begin a spiritual journey of their own.
The Vision Remains Simple
There Is Always Room for One More
Visit the Hare Krishna Centre Leicester, join the Saturday Sadhu-saṅga, hear Bhagavad-gītā, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and share prasādam with the community.
28 Evington Road, Leicester