Radhadesh - Iskcon Temple in Belgian Ardennes (Wallonia - Belgium)

By faith, I'm a Hindu. By interest, as any regular reader of this blog would know, I'm into historic sites. Ofcourse I go to temples, but I don't prefer to go to one that was built a few years ago. Personally I feel, the deity at home is more powerful(?!) than a 'temple' built day-before-yesterday! That's the challenge when it comes to living in the West. In India & many Eastern countries, many of our temples were built as old as 2000 years ago and many that were built a 1000 years ago are still in worship! In Europe there are few temples, but I'd any day prefer to go to an historic church than a brand-new temple!!! If you are a Hindu reading this, you may feel different... That is your opinion and this is my opinion. If our opinions differ, let's just agree to disagree!

In the midst of this, I came across this Hindu temple - housed in an historic European castle - Radhadesh!!!

Chateau de Petite Somme is old! The earliest it was mentioned was in 1065 CE when it belonged to Gozelon de Montaigu. After his death, the property came under the Bishop of Liege and then it became part of a defensive territory for North Luxemburg. As time went by, the Chateau de Petite Somme changed several hands and served as the summer home of several aristocrats. Louise Marie Eulalie inherited the property in 1877 and it was she who demolished the old structure and built the chateau as we see it today in 1888 CE! It became a stunning Neo-Gothic building in the midst of the vast greenery of Belgian Ardennes. 

During the First World War, it was in the hands of de Vaux family, who graciously gave the premises to be used as a hospital to take care of the wounded soldiers. Not just that, the chateau also served as a make-shift home for the people whose houses were destroyed in the war. Finally in 1975, the chateau was bought by Iskcon. 

Krishna is a Hindu God. For non-Hindus he might be a complete shocker! Krishna is a God who we see from birth to death, as he grows. He was born in Mathura (close to New Delhi, India), in a cow-herd community. As a toddler he was a very naughty boy. Any motherly woman would want a child like Krishna. He would remind any mother of her own child's toddlerhood! As a teenager he is an absolute playboy! He'd remind every man of his youth! His love interest in Radha. Krishna is the perfect lover. When he misses Radha, he absolutely melts! Any woman would want a lover like Krishna. During the Kurukshetra war, he was Arjuna's charioteer and when Arjuna gets confused, he gives the shoulder and helps him think clearly. Krishna is an absolute friend! Krishna is the a God we fear, but a God who we want as ourselves, our child, our lover or our friend!

Iskcon stands for International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is also called the Hare Krishna movement. Iskcon was founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda in 1966 in New York City and since then it has spread all over the world spreading the doctrines of Bagavath Gita (one of the sacred texts of Hindu religion) and the practice of Bakthi Yoga (devotion). 

The most eye-catching thing about Iskcon followers is their love for dance & music! They are often seen dancing while singing their chant 'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare! Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare'.

The first thing I experienced here us actually the cycle ride to reach Radhadesh from Durbuy. The path is so green and so gorgeous. Cycling there in the midst of Belgian Ardennes, the curvy never-ending roads are such a delight to the eyes and body and soul! It is indeed a reminder of Krishna's Brindavan!

Radha, as I mentioned before, is the love interest of Lord Krishna and 'desh' means 'country'. Radhadesh means 'the country of Radha'.

Within Radhadesh, there are 3 major sections - The Radhadesh Temple, the Chateau de Petite Somme and MOSA. Apart from that there are the Govinda restaurant, Gift shop & Bakery. Then ofcourse there's the in-house accommodation, Radhadesh Retreat. There's also a little playground to keep the young visitors busy!

One of the rooms in the ground floor has been converted to the temple. The footwear has to be removed in the room prior to it (it is a Hindu practice to walk into temples barefoot). The altar has 3 different styles of Krishna sculptures - the Mathura Janamsthan temple style, the Puri Jagannath templestyle and Vrindavan temple style. Just opposite to the Krishna deities, is the sculpture of the founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. 

Everyday the Aarti ceremony happens several times a day which involves a extensive process with conch shell, bell, flowers, incense, lamp, water, cloth, yak-tail and peacock fans that represent the 5 elements of nature. This is ofcourse followed by music & dance, the essence of Hare Krishna Hare Rama movement!

There are several other rooms in the Chateau that serve many other purposes including a library to learn more about Hinduism, a room dedicated to the life and works of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, a room dedicated to the philosophies of birth, death & karma etc. One of the rooms has a stunning sculpture of Maha Vishnu flying! The most unusual place in Radhadesh, for me was the room that has stained glass windows depicting the Dasavatharam (10 reincarnations) of Lord Krishna. This is truly the first ever time I've seen a stained-glass window of Hinduism!

There is a Castle Tour that takes place everyday that takes you through these rooms as well as the terrace of the Chateau. The terrace and the stairs that lead to it are among the oldest parts of the chateau. The view from atop is spectacular with just all the greenery all around and the beautiful mountain range of Belgian Ardennes. 

Do you know when we reached here? We reached here just after doing all the fierce & fantastic activities of Durbuy Adventures (more about it coming soon). Unfortunately (or fortunately?), all the vegetarian sandwiches had gotten over at their kiosk and it was already 3PM when we reached Radhadesh and obviously we were exceptionally hungry! So our first stop was the best vegetarian restaurant in Belgium & best Indian restaurant in Belgium - Govinda Restaurant.  

Throughout the lunch time the restaurant serves an amazing, divine (!) lunch of rice, lentil soup, vegetables, a sweet, Indian spicy pickle and papadam. Samosa, an Indian snack is also available. We had all these and I went to the staff and conveyed my compliments to the chef, something that I don't often too. The food was mild and not spicy. The thali literally reminded me of home. Every day after noon prayers, this exact plate is also served as the 'prasadam' (holy offering) free of cost. 

Apart from this authentic Indian food there are also locals food to make the locals feel more comfortable including lasagna, burger, fries etc as well as a variety of cakes & icecreams. Ofcourse everything is Indian vegetarian (that means no egg). Certain dishes are vegan as well and they can accommodate any other dietary requirements as well if informed earlier.

Apart from the Govinda Restaurant, there's a bakery as well which sells a variety of cakes, breaks, cookies as well as a few pastries and a few Indian sweets as well. 

I'm not much into shopping, but the moment I stepped in here, I was....... how do I put it.... hungry!!! I felt like I was transported into an Indian handicraft shop and I hadn't set foot into one in the last couple of years (yes, trip to India back home, got cancelled, thanks to the pandemic). If you're an Indian  an film-buff reading this, I felt like Chandramukhi / Manjulika of Bhool Bhulaiyaa when she discovered the old jewelry box! 

Not just sculptures of Krishna and religious products, but also Indian jewelry, keychain with Gods on it, incense sticks, skincare products from various Indian herbal brands, windchimes & other home decor in textile, brass & terracotta, lac-work products, sandal-wood sculptures & products, Hindu religious story books from kids, vegetarian recipe books, Indian spices & herbs for cooking, steel containers & tiffin-boxes (like the ones I used to take to school when I was a school-kid!), musical instruments like flute and ofcourse clothing too! The deities here were not just Krishna but also Shiva, Sakthi, Hanuman, Buddha and many more.

We got a couple of sculptures for our home and for Atyudarini we got a flute and she loved her new musical instrument after her xylophone and keyboard. Let's see how her musical journey goes.

This is a small museum where the you can watch a movie about the beginnings of the Chateau as well as the new beginnings of the chateau as Radhadesh. Otherwise, the space regularly hosts various events and artists. 

What is your idea of a destination wedding? How about a a Belgian chateau wedding surrounded by mountains & greenery? Yes, wedding is very much possible in Chateau de Petite Somme, making it one of the best destination wedding places in Wallonia in Belgium.  However only Hindu wedding ceremonies are conducted here. Even if you belong to a different faith, if you are open to the idea of getting married in a typical, colorful, Hindu Wedding Ceremony, Radhadesh (Chateau de Petite Somme) is your ideal destination wedding venue in Belgian Ardennes!

The best time to visit Radhadesh is definitely on Krishna Jayanthi (Janmashtami), or Lord Krishna's Birthday. Since it follows Indian Lunar Calendar, the date is not the same every year in Gregorian Calendar. Approximately it falls in mid-August to mid-September. Janmastami is celebrated here with pomp and circumstance with colors, music, dance & food!

However if you're want to experience to quiet & peace of Belgian Ardennes from the beautiful Neo-Gothic Chateau de Petite Somme, you may want to deliberately avoid Janmashtami! Also you may want to avoid Holi, the Indian festival of Colors that falls in mid March - mid April.

Visiting the temple: Free

Tour of Chateau de Petite Somme tickets (including climbing the terrace):

MOSA museum tickets: 

The altar of Radhadesh is open in the following hours

04.30 to 05.00; 07.15 to 08.00; 08.25 to 13.00; 15.45 to 18.30; 19.00 to 19.30; 20.50 to 21.00

The biggest challenge for me was to reach from Brussels to Radhadesh by public transport which was the main reason to why I hadn't visited here all this while. Chateau de Petite Somme - Radhadesh is located 5km from Durbuy town centre and though there is a bus, it is pretty much impractical and is not frequent. Cycling from Durbuy is the best option. Another part of the challenge is reaching Durbuy from Brussels. There is no direct train! The nearest railway station connected to Brussels is Barvaux (via Marloie). Barvaux to Durbuy is another 4km and there are le TEC shuttles available but not too frequent. Many opt for taxi services for this distance.

It is very much possible to hire e-bikes at Durbuy Tourism's office. However there are only 10 bikes available, so reservation is absolutely necessary. The bikes come with helmets. They also have 2 child-seats as well, which could also be reserved. 

It is very much possible to stay in Radhadesh itself. The accommodation in Iskcon Belgium is called Radhadesh Retreat. There are rooms with private bathrooms as well as dormitories with shared bathrooms. The room tariff begins at €42. It does get filled up very quickly, so if you need an accommodation at Radhadesh Retreat you would really have to book it very early. 

The nearest city to Radhadesh is Durbuy which has very many hotels at mid-to-luxury price range. I'll be soon writing a review of Hotel Au Vieux Durbuy where I stayed. Follow my blog to be updated as soon as it goes live!