(Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco 1967—Radha-Krishna Temple, Frederick Street, lower left)
Srila Prabhupada and his early band of disciples played an intrinsic part in the spiritual and cultural revolution of America in the 1960s. Both in the Lower East Side of New York in 1966 and in the Haight-Ashbury of San Francisco in 1967, Prabhupada was there preaching the sublime message of Krishna consciousness. In fact, Srila Prabhupada put Hare Krishna on the map, both literally and figuratively.
In the lower left diagram of Haight-Ashbury during the historic year of the "Summer of Love," the "Radha Krishna Temple" (in red) was established at 518 Frederick Street, nestled right next door to the Digger's Free Store. Also shown are other notable landmarks of the day:
- The Trip Without a Ticket
- The Straight Theater
- The I/Thou Coffee Shop
- Hippie Hill
- The Blue Unicorn (coffee shop)
- The Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic
- Mnasidika (boutique)
- The Psychedelic Shop
- Grateful Dead House
- The Drogstore Cafe
- Janis Joplin's apartment
- Allen Ginsberg's apartment
Not shown are:
- In Gear (Mod clothing) at 1580 Haight
- Tracy's Donuts at 1569 Haight
- The Print Mint (poster gallery) at 1542 Haight
- House of Richard (boutique) at 1541 Haight
- The Blushing Peony (boutique) at 1452 Haight
- Wild Colors (locally produced crafts) at 1418 Haight
- The Phoenix (head shop) at 1377 Haight
- The San Francisco Oracle at 1371 Haight
- The Pacific Ocean Trading Company and Mouse Studios at 1711 Haight
- The Haight-Ashbury Tribune at 1776 Haight
- Far Fetched Foods (also known as Blind Jerry's health foods) on Page
- Jefferson Airplane pad at 2400 Fulton
In his book, "The Haight-Ashbury: A History," Charles Perry writes: "Dozens of hippies were quickly converted to Krishna with the aid of a testimonial from Allen Ginsberg, who said that the Hare Krishna mantra 'brings a state of ecstacy.' "
By virtue of his complete faith in Krishna and His holy name, Srila Prabhupada rapidly established Krishna consciousness as the genuine "peace and love" movement which so many young people were earnestly seeking at the time. As a result, his movement spread like wildfire during the '60s and '70s with enthusiastic support from many of the countercultural heroes of the day.
Note: This page went viral during the 50th anniversary of "The Summer of Love" in 2017 thanks to the 7X7 Bay Area entertainment website.
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