ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple, Chennai

Wikipedia records that devotees found the site at Injambakkam in about 2000, and that work on the first phase of the centre began on 17 March 2002; The Hindu also gives March 2002 as the start of construction. The project was guided by Bhanu Swami, a Governing Body Commissioner of ISKCON (as ANI describes him), under whose direction the temple was designed, according to The Hindu and ISKCON's directory.

According to The Hindu, the temple cost about Rs. 10 crore, raised from devotees in Chennai, and ISKCON's Chennai centre had around 8,000 life patrons at the time. ISKCON News announced the opening of the Centre for Spiritual Art and Culture for 26 April 2012. On the day, after the Kumbhabhishekam and the first decorated darshan (maha mangala arati), a helicopter showered flowers over the temple towers, The Hindu reported.

Architecture and sacred features

ISKCON's directory and Wikipedia describe a five-level building spread over more than 1.5 acres, with a temple hall of about 7,000 sq ft on the first floor, an auditorium on the ground floor and a prasadam hall in the basement. The design draws on Pallava and Kalinga architecture. The Hindu reported that the gopurams are built in the Kalinga style, with a Sudarshana Chakra on top of the tallest one.

Several features carry symbolic meaning, according to ISKCON. The marble floor at the entrance shows the bhu-mandala, the universe of Vedic cosmology arranged around Mount Meru. A life-like statue of a cow feeding her calf stands at the portico as a reminder of care for the earth and its creatures. Inside, a chandelier set with 500 Himalayan quartz crystals casts colours across the walls and ceiling. The temple also displays vastu shastra features, explained in a booklet sold at its bookshop.