The Dunedin Hare Krishna Cultural Centre will be established at 133 London St at the end of this year.
''It will be the first time we've had a meeting place in Dunedin. To Hare Krishnas, every home is a temple, but it is important to have a meeting place,'' Hare Krishna member Jane Beecroft said yesterday.
''We want to use the centre to promote spirituality in a non-sectarian way. The doors will be open to all the people of Dunedin to provide education about the real values of life.
''We want to show people how to live a more peaceful and wholesome life. It will be with the same formula we've used since the beginning of time - chanting and dancing and feasting.''
The $395,000 residence was donated to the Hare Krishna community by Dr Karuna Sindhu Dasa, from the estate of his mother, Madam Yap.
Dr Sindhu Dasa emigrated to Dunedin from Malaysia 10 years ago and signed the six-bedroomed home over on February 22.
''It was on the anniversary of our Christchurch temple being destroyed in the Canterbury earthquake,'' Ms Beecroft said.
The centre would be used for education, cooking, yoga and meditation classes and to develop outreach programmes for young people, she said.
The Hare Krishna community will continue to hold its weekly meetings at 5.30pm on Sundays in the OUSA Recreation Centre until it moves into the London St premises at the end of the year.
