The History of the Hare Krishna
Movement in the UK
The Hare Krishnas in Britain (2021)
The Hare Krishnas, known for their bright saffron robes and loud street chanting parties, have been a part of the UK's historical narrative for almost 100 years!
After two years of extensive research, Nathan Hartley (Narada das) published The Hare Krishnas in Britain in 2021. The book uncovers details of Britain's first Hare Krishna movement in the 1930s (including details of the first bhakti missionary to set foot on British shores in 1902) and gives a detailed overview at the diverse array of sects and sangas that exist in the country today.
Whether you have been an ardent practitioner of Krishna Consciousness for 50 years, are a new follower of Bhakti Yoga, or just have a university essay to write, this book is for you!
For more details, and to purchase a copy visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hare-Krishnas-Britain-movements-diversity/dp/B098CQY3LR
Mapping Out The Saraswat Line in the UK
Britain's Hare Krishna movement has always been more diverse than we ever thought.
From the first wave of missionaries in London in the 1930s to today's myriad of maths (missionary groups) and sangas, below is the first ever illustration of all those groups in one diagram.
Taken from research conducted for the book The Hare Krishnas in Britain, the image below shows all those maths in the Saraswat Line (in other words, all the groups today that are offshoots of the original Gaudiya Math, which disbanded in 1937/8).
A few things to note:
- This diagram applies to the UK only
- This is NOT a map of succession, but rather a map of branches, sub-branches and offshoots (gurus/acharyas are only included from the second generation onwards if they founded new maths)
- These are the Hare Krishna groups that are in the line of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur (sorry to all our friends in the Nityananda Line who are active in the UK but not on this chart)
- We're happy to be corrected on dates and factual information
Details about all of the maths on the chart can be found in The Hare Krishnas in Britain book, available now on Amazon.
