Radhadesh, Chateau de Petite Somme, Belgium (a spiritual community and tourist attraction in the Ardennes)

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Radhadesh, Chateau de Petite Somme, Belgium (a spiritual community and tourist attraction in the Ardennes)

Address: Radhadesh,Chateau de Petite Somme, Petite Somme 5,6940 Septon-Durbuy,Belgium.E-mail: radhadesh@pamho.net.Website: www.radhadesh.com

Radhadesh, based at the Chateau de Petite Somme, is a spiritual community belonging to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). ISKCON was founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966 in New York. ISKCON is part of a distinctive Hindu devotional faith, the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which began in the sixteenth century, but which participates in a much older movement which dates back to at least the third millennium B.C.

Prabhupada wanted to share India's message of peace and hope with the people of the world.By the time Radhadesh was bought by ISKCON in 1979 the society had thousands of members and 126 centres worldwide.
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The significance of Radhadesh

One of the largest ISKCON centres in Europe, Radhadesh is a dynamic project with several purposes. It is:

1) A place of inspiration

2) A centre of education

3) An attractive destination for tourists

It is also a very interesting place because its residents are of many different nationalities it has a real international flavour.

Facilities

There are severalfacilities for visitors to the chteau, includinga cafeteria, bakery, boutique, and guesthouse.Since the guesthouse also includes a large conference room, Radhadesh has been able to host a variety of large gatherings, including a youth festival in 2008, and meditation retreats with well-known speakers in 2009 and 2010. The guesthouse has also hosted Tai chi and hatha yoga groups.

Gardens

Between 1980 and 1981 devotees laid out the present vegetable gardens in the chteau's old walled garden. At this time the rose gardens and the front garden were also created to provide flowers for the temple's Deity program.

Forest walk

In 1983 thirty-two hectares of land were bought, consisting mostly of woods where the forest walk is now. The building of the path through the woods was completed in 1995. The woods provide a very pleasant place for the castle's residents and visitors to take a quiet stroll.

Construction and renovations

Construction and renovation have been defining features of the project, particularly since Hrdaya Caitanya Dasa, the temple president, since the mid-80s, has a passion for improving the chteau's facilities. His dedicated and tireless work has had a huge impact on the comfort and accessibility of the temple for visitors and residents alike, and has made the views around the property what they are today.

Museum of Sacred Art

The purpose of the Museum of Sacred Art is to create a dedicated space where visitors could learn about the cultural roots of Vaishnava art and its connection with the broader world of Hinduism. The Museum hopes to offer visitors a glimpse of spirituality and culture, and an introduction to the rich spiritual art traditions of India. In the introduction for the museum's catalogue His Excellency Dr. J. Bhagwati said, "I am very happy to see that Radhadesh has established a collection at the Museum of Sacred Art to facilitate a glimpse into this sacred art influenced by Hinduism."

Temple room, Deity rooms, and kitchens

The first temple room was a temporary arrangement on the first floor of the chteau. Between 1982 and 1983 a permanent temple room was created on the ground floor where the chteau's old restaurant had been. It was decided in 2000 to build a new kitchen for the Deities in what had previously been a storage room in the basement.

Stables

In Hindu culture the protection of cows is considered a religious duty. Cows and bulls are traditional and environmentally sustainable sources of wealth since cows produce a valuable food in the form of milk, and bulls plough the land for growing grains. In 1980 devotees arranged for six Jersey cows to come to Radhadesh. In July 2010 a cow and calf were purchased by the temple to create some in-house milk production.

Bhaktivedanta College

The college, which opened at Radhadesh in September 2002,offers a Bachelor's Degree in Theology accredited by the University of Wales, Lampeter. Since its opening up to the summer of 2010, seventy students, from thirty countries, have followed some part of the three-year program. Several graduates have continued their studies to master's level and serve as teachers in ISKCON and other academic institutions. In 2009 the college opened its first building, which serves as offices and library. Its first accommodation building was finished in 2010. The college also plans to offer other degrees, including a degree in education and theology from 2011, and a degree in business administration from 2012.

Food for Life

ISKCON started Food for Life (FFL) in 1974 when Prabhupada instructed his followers that no one within a ten mile radius of any Hare Krishna temple should go hungry. Since then the Food for Life program has served more than 650 million vegetarian meals to disadvantaged people worldwide. Starting in 1998, Radhadesh has organised a weekly food distribution program in Liege, providing hot meals for senior citizens, the homeless, students, and street artists. Since then more than 100,000 hot meals have been served.

Communications

As well as going out to meet people, devotees at Radhadesh have hosted many events that academics, politicians, and religious leaders have attended. The most regular of these has been the yearly reception at the Janmastami celebrations. Radhadesh has been especially honoured to host many ambassadors including those from India, Mauritius, Nepal, and South Africa. Recent visitors include Philippe Courard (a minister in the federal government), Cecile Thibaut (a senator from the Ecolo party), His Excellency Dr J. Bhagavati (the Indian Ambassador to Belgium), and His Excellency Anil Sooklal (the South African ambassador to Belgium).

Well-known academics who have visited are Professor Callewaert (an expert in Hinduism at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), Dr. Koenraad Elst (scholar of Indian history, politics, and Hindu Nationalism), and Professor Jacques Scheuen (expert in Hinduism at Universit catholique de Louvain). Radhadesh has also hosted Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist leaders from around the Benelux.

There have been many articles in newspapers and magazines about Radhadesh, especially in Flanders. There have also been several TV programs about Radhadesh, the most well-known being the programIn Godsnaam shown at the beginning of 2010, in which Annemie Struyf came to stay at Radhadesh for a week.

In the mid 1990s discussions were held between the leaders of Belgium's Hindu community about their forming a collective body that could represent the interests of all Hindus in Belgium. Radhadesh helped host many of their meetings. The result came in 2007 with the launching of the Hindu Forum of Belgium, of which ISKCON Radhadesh is a member. The Hindu Forum of Belgium is working towards getting official recognition for Hinduism as a religion.

When the Belgian Council of Religious Leaders (BCRL) was launched in 2009, leaders at Radhadesh were asked by the Hindu Forum of Belgium to act as its representatives. The ceremony for the BCRL's launch was held at the Belgian Parliament.

Congregational development

In the beginning, the Radhadesh community was mainly made up of young single people living a simple monastic lifestyle. From the mid-80s the focus started shifting to a congregational-based model, with many of those who had lived in the temple getting married, starting their own families, and living outside the temple environment. Although the resident population of Radhadesh has never been more than around a hundred and twenty individuals, Radhadesh's congregation has grown into the thousands.

Sharing Krishna consciousness

Prabhupada described the writing and distribution of spiritual books as a "family tradition" for the Gaudiya Vaishnava lineage. Since Prabhupada's books were originally in English, there has been a pressing need to have them translated into local languages. This is an ongoing project that started with the publication of the first Dutch books in 1973 and 1974. Over a million copies of Dutch books and thousands of French books have been distributed in the Benelux.

Devotees love to hold festivals and serve feasts on all the holy-days in their calendar. In this respect Radhadesh is a typical Hare Krishna temple with frequent and sumptuous feasts. In 1982, when the castle's kitchen, the present main kitchen, was renovated, devotees had better facilities for catering for large groups of people.
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Since Radhadesh is such a big project regular publicity is needed for its various festivals and programs. As well as many small publications like flyers, brochures, and advertisements, Radhadesh has produced: a regular newsletter, a website, the Janmastami Magazine, books , and an art catalogue. Devotees from Radhadesh have also helped organise and produce the Benelux's bi-monthly magazine, Krishna Bhakti.

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History of Chteau de Petite Somme

The earliest record about the castle dates back to the 11th century. It is said in 1065 the owner of the castle, Gozelon de Montaiqude, plundered the property of the Abbey of Saint Hubert. When he died his widow, feeling guilty about her husband's misbehaviour, offered the castle, the church, and her subjects to the Abbey of Saint-Hubert. As a result the area then belonged to the bishop of Liege. Unfortunately there are no parts of this original building still in existence. From 1461 to 1774 the castle became the property of the Hamal family, after which it was connected with several aristocratic families from the Benelux and beyond, including the Favereau's. Lord Charles de Favereau demolished what had served as the Hamal family residence and rebuilt a country home of bricks on its foundations. In 1877 Louise Marie Eulalie inherited the castle grounds and demolished the brick mansion built by Charles de Favereau. At that time the present castle was constructed in the neo-egothic style it was finished in 1888. At that time most of the estate's trees were cleared. During WWI the castle was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers. During the war several houses in the village of Petite Somme were destroyed and villagers found shelter in the castle. Some of the castle's outbuildings were also burnt down. In 1946 the owner, Earl Charles de Jourda, died at which time the castle with its 400 acres of forest was sold. From 1948 to 1949, a group of philanthropists worked to establish the chteau as a holiday centre and rest camp for students and scholars. It contained a school, youth hostel, campsite, hotel, and restaurant. The chteau was sold in 1975 and remained unoccupied for nearly 5 years. Then, in 1979, it was bought by ISKCON who initiated renovation work laying the foundation for the development of Radhadesh as it is today.

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