Doors Open Toronto celebrated its 10th anniversary and, for the the fifth straight year, Toronto’s Hare Krishna Temple took part in the weekend-long festivities!
One weekend, once a year, Doors Open Toronto involves 175 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and social significance opening their doors to the public for a city-wide celebration.
The program allows visitors free access to properties that are either not usually open to the public, or would normally charge an entrance fee. Many locations have organized guided tours, displays and activities to enrich the visitor experience.
While Toronto’s Hare Krishna Temple is open, free of charge, to the public year-round, Doors Open presented an opportunity for the public to learn about the architectural and historical story of our amazing building!
Over 500 guests visited the temple over two days and were offered guided tours of the building, a glimpse into the Hare Krishna tradition and also a chance to enjoy some vegetarian pakoras! As part of the literature theme that was the focus of Doors Open this year, the Hare Krishna Temple presented the vast array of books that are part of our tradition for the public.
As visitors arrived to the temple, they were greeted by a volunteer and then taken on a tour that covered the history of the building that goes all the way back to 1896! Some of the highlights of the history of the building include the fact that it was built in two parts, it was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1944 and the that the Hare Krishnas have called it home since 1976!
What visitors loved about the building was the blending of east and west! Upon approaching the building from outside, one sees an old Gothic-style church, but once you get inside the building, you are transported to the ancient east!
While Doors Open Toronto presented an opportunity for the public to learn more about the history of our building and the roots of the Hare Krishna tradition, it also presented an opportunity for members of our community to open their hearts and share the magical past and vibrant present of the Hare Krishna movement!