George Harrison's Hare Krishna Manor celebrates 50 years
In 1973 Beatle George Harrison gifted a manor house to the Hare Krishna movement so they could have a base in the UK. Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire is now one of the UK's foremost Hindu temples. Leading members share the story of its inception, its fight against closure and the legacy it holds today.
It was no coincidence that Shyamasundar Das met George Harrison at an Apple Records party in December 1968 - although he had not expected them to become lifelong friends.
He had come to England on a mission: To launch the Hare Krishna movement at the bidding of leader Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Shyamasundar Das decided to aim high and got himself an invite to a party at the Beatles' record label.
He recalls: "We arrived in September of '68, and by Christmas time I had met George Harrison and we were chanting Hare Krishna with the Beatles."
Source: Louise Parry & Deepak Patel - BBC News, Hertfordshire/news.yahoo.com
