My friend Kaylee and I traveled to the Bhagavad Gita museum back in early July, at the culmination of a 30 hour train trip. Without a doubt, it was the most memorable experience of our trip. I’ve been thinking about the museum for weeks now...
Read MoreMy friend Kaylee and I traveled to the Bhagavad Gita museum back in early July, at the culmination of a 30 hour train trip. Without a doubt, it was the most memorable experience of our trip. I’ve been thinking about the museum for weeks now and figured I should write a formal review of what I remember.I had no idea what to expect going into the “Krishna Experience.” I’m terrified of wax figures and mannequins in general so the basic premise of the museum (which consists of several dioramas populated with life-sized wax figurines, narrating the story of the Bhagavad Gita) was daunting, to say the least. I also knew nothing about the Bhagavad Gita, other than the vaguest idea of its spiritual significance. I went into the experience with a fresh eye toward how the text would be explained, what it would make me feel, and why it matters.Two hours later, I came out of the museum with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a newfound kinship with our lovely tour guide, and many unresolved (and perhaps unresolvable) questions.We met our tour guide, Hari Bhakta, outside of the museum at noon sharp. After greeting us, he immediately led us into the Hare Krishna temple adjoining the museum to observe the midday rituals. Once we finished visiting the temple, we stood outside the museum for a while as Hari explained some of the history of the Hare Krishna movement in America. According to Hari, the museum was created by a group of artists who learned the art of doll-making in India, and then collaborated with Disney engineers to produce the animatronics, lighting, and sound. This unique (very quintessentially LA) collaboration was really apparent in the design of the museum, which was an uncanny mix of old-fashioned 1970s figurines, traditional Indian art, and a cartoonish Disney entertainment flair. It’s kind of like if “It’s A Small World” had a spiritual awakening—which was largely charming, if at times a little unsettling.The museum itself was completely dark and full of mirrors. Each diorama would light up one by one, guided by a voiceover narration. The dioramas ranged from direct exposition of the Bhagavad Gita (for instance, a diorama reenacting a dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna) to extremely abstract spiritual queries about the transferability of the soul, the divide between “sensuality” and “austerity,” and more. My favorite diorama was the one depicting the different forms of Krishna; made up of smaller dioramas placed in a circle around a tree, each box lit up one by one revealing a different form of Krishna (including the Shakyamuni Buddha, which I was surprised by and wanted to learn more about).As I mentioned, I have a lot of outstanding questions; for instance, how did the Hare Krishna movement intermix with other countercultural currents at the time in America? How did the movement evolve in its various transnational contexts? Also, now knowing more about the framing of the BG (as, primarily, a tract counseling Arjuna into war), I’m curious about how the text navigates its complex justifications of violence and iterations of greater peace. This feels particularly topical in our post-nuclear Oppenheimer-influenced age, and I’d have been interested in the museum’s critical lens on this. But overall, the museum was a very thorough, nuanced overview of the text and the spiritual tradition. It sparked so many questions for me, and I am excited to learn more by now reading the text itself.Really what I wanted to emphasize most in this review, though, was the excellence of our tour guide Hari Bhakta. We were consistently impressed by Hari’s balance of gravity and good humor — his clear expertise manifested in accessible explanations of both doctrine and cultural impact. Although I asked many questions, he answered each one with grace and a depth of knowledge that was truly commendable. We would highly recommend this museum, and Hari Bhakta's Krishna Experience tour was especially worthwhile. Thank you, Hari!
Live performances 
Restaurants
Hotels
Services
Stores
Lawyers
Health
Things To Do
Churches
Transportation
Walmart