The Hare Krishna's Transformation of Space in West Virginia

This study examines the transformative process of turning unordered space into cosmos, or place imbued with meaning. Through integration of specific physical qualities of a particular location into a traditional Hindu perspective of a sacred place and by performance of symbolic acts such as meditation, worship, founding and settling a site and the building of Prabhupada's Palace of Gold, the Hare Krishna have established a temple-oriented spiritual commune on a West Virginia landscape.