Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SPANISH FORK — Many would call Utah County a strange place for a Krishna temple.
"Why is that strange?" asked Vai Bhavi, one of the temple's founders. "Isn't that how it should be? If religions are not cooperative, if they're opposed to each other, causing a disturbance in society, then how is that a religious activity?"
Bhavi wasn't born into this. She grew up in England, where her journey down this path began back in the 1960's — which might make you think it was a hippie thing.
"My husband and I were not hippies," Bhavi said with a smile. "We weren't like that at all. After I graduated at University in London, I taught for a couple of years and then I thought, 'There has to be more to life than this. Let me go traveling.'"
Bhavi traveled the world on a quest for something greater than herself. She met her husband on that journey, who was searching for the same thing.
"Our purpose is to help all living beings," she said.
It was in Australia that they discovered the Hare Krishna religion, which has its roots in India — only Bhavi said it's not really a religion at all.
"It's not specifically about a religion," she said. "It's about a spiritual way of life."
A way of life built around one concept.
"We're not our bodies. We're the soul," Bhavi said. "And wherever there's life, that is a soul. All living creatures."
Part of that means being vegetarians. It also means they've built a kind of oasis here. They're surrounded by llamas, parrots and even free-strutting peacocks.
"We've given shelter to a lot of animals that needed that," Bhavi said.
But let's talk about the elephant in the room: a Krishna temple in an area that's about 90 percent Mormon.
"If one had done some research, this would be the last place to choose, probably," Bhavi said.
They moved to Utah in hopes of broadcasting their beliefs on the radio. Bhavi said over time, a temple became necessary. When it came time to build, Bhavi found that LDS church members and the church itself were more than happy to help.
"They physically helped build the temple and then they built the dome," she said. "They paid for the building of the main dome."
Bhavi said they don't try to convert anyone. She said their members come from a variety of different religions.
"This probably enhances their religion," she said. "Makes them more dedicated because they're more understanding of the nature of the soul."
They're now expanding. Bhavi and her husband are building a second temple in the Millcreek area of the Salt Lake Valley. An existing building was purchased from another church, which will soon have a temple attached similar to the one in Spanish Fork.
"The domes are already made, so now we just have to complete the structure," Bhavi said.
A strange place for a Krishna temple, but Bhavi said she wouldn't have it any other way.
"We're trying to get at the essence of the relationship of the soul with God," she said. "And that's beyond religion."
