Hare Krishna Ecological Park, Huaral, Peru

[Martin Hash]

Bird God Statue.JPG

I didn't know anything more about Hare Krishnas than anyone else who traveled through airports a few decades ago. In fact, I thought they'd died out as a movement, like the Bagwhan's city camp at Big Muddy Ranch did up near where I live in Oregon. As I remembered it, the Hare Krishnas wore blood red robes and shaved their heads except for a little topnotch. They all looked fit yet they begged for money; I found that odd. Thirty years ago I wondered why anyone would join a strange group like that, not noticing the irony of the Mormon community I was raised in.

On a whim, we stopped at the Hare Krishna Ecological Park in Huaral, Peru, and it was impressive indeed. I can see why a person would want to live there. It was ascetic, near the beach for surfing, beautifully adorned, and had a calmness about it that would appeal to the mysticism in all of us. They even had a rock band practicing on a stage that seemed endearingly sincere because the musicians were amateur at best. Considering how large the compound was, there were few actual Hare Krishnas in attendance. We were welcome into the prayer room; there was a large kiosk to leave our shoes in, and the constellations were painted on the ceiling. Nobody wore read but the few we saw had the topnotch.