On my quest to visit more states, I decided to take a short weekend trip to West Virginia.  Years ago I had passed through a piece of this state, but I never stopped to see any points of interest.

As an adventure was soon to be experienced, I did some research and found something I simply HAD to see:  Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold.  Not far from Wheeling, WV lies New Vrindaban, a Hare Krishna community that many people pilgrimage to.  The compound is quite large and there are a number of things to do.  Upon arrival at the parking area, there is the main building that has restrooms, a cafe, and a prayer area.  A nice gentleman offered to show us around the main prayer area, explaining what the actions of the devote visitors mean and whom the statues represent.

After a stop at the nearby gift shop, we talked down the path to the palace itself, which is surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens and lawns.  The palace is open seven days a week, and for a few dollars, you can join a tour that takes you all around the amazing building.  Basically, in 1973, devotees of Srila Prabhupada (1896-1977: widely regarded as the foremost Vedic scholar, translator, and teacher of the modern era who translated over 80 volumes of the Vedas’ most sacred bhakti texts) came together and volunteered to work on the construction of a simple house for the guru.  However, as the story goes, although none of the devotees were expert builders, they all came together, performed a labor of love, and masterfully created an establishment that no one was expecting to be this grand…all without using blueprints.  Materials were donated and the volunteers worked enthusiastically on a worthy building where Prabhupada could live and work on his books.  No matter how things actually happened…the structure was absolutely stunning and worthy of a visit!

We were not allowed to take pictures of the inside of the palace, but there are videos on the internet of the beautiful stained glass, woodwork, tile, etc., if you are interested in making a stop.

After seeing the palace, the next logical step was a visit to the state capitol.  Charleston was such a nice area to spend a morning, and the complex had so much to offer.  The tour of the capitol was wonderful, which explained the amazing materials used, which were sourced both domestically and internationally.  The grounds outside the capitol were beautifully manicured and allowed visitors plenty of places to sit and enjoy the squirrels.  Nearby, there were war memorials and museums, which were also beautiful structures, begging visitors to stop by for a look.  (I happened to be there while some restoration was going on, but it was still worth the trip for sure.  Below are pictures of how things usually look.)

West Virginia seemed to have plenty of state pride and the city itself was absolutely beautiful.  I wished I could have stayed a little longer to see more of the items along the river, but alas, the journey home needed to begin after our short city visit was over.