The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was founded in New York in 1966 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977).

Srila Prabhupada was a distinguished scholar, teacher, and practitioner of Vedic religion, philosophy, and culture. He established ISKCON as a means of sharing Krishna consciousness with the world. He revealed a 5,000-year-old, unbroken chain of spiritual teaching originating from the Supreme Lord Himself.

The Hare Krishna Movement attempts to fill the spiritual void in the world today. Our aim is to build a society based on the teachings of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We believe that God is a person, that He has a name, His own family, and friends, that He performs transcendentally wonderful activities, and that He is cherished as the life and soul of His devotees. This Supreme Person is unimaginably beautiful, wealthy, strong, famous, intelligent, and, at the same time, detached from everything. Although He has unlimited names, His original name is Krishna, meaning ‘all-attractive’.