The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is a abuzz with the success of the Hindu Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork. The Hare Krishna news agency, wonders, "Whatever made the Hare Krishna movement build a Hindu temple in the midst of Mormon dominated Utah?"

The temple's President Caru Dasa explains:

“The Lord built a temple here just to show He could do it. He did it as a prank.”

The temple, 60 miles south of the Mormon's more famous temple and in the heartland of the LDS faithful, has been around for more than ten years. Religion and Ethics Weekly describes the temple grounds: “For a split second, you might wonder if you were in a faraway country like India."

Caru Das says many Mormon leaders support the temple because the LDS share the Hare Krishna emphasis on celibacy before marriage and abstaining from tobacco and alcohol.

Iskon, asks if news of Hare Krishna scandals in other parts of the world involving corruption, murder and child molestation made things difficult Mormondom. Caru Das says the dearth of coverage in the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News helped a lot:

“Though [wire services] sent out the articles, for some reason the local papers did not print them. I would like to think it is because we have been so proactive in Utah and generated so much good press that they simply preferred not to.”

“That's what I would like to believe, but it may be we got lucky.”