ISKCON was founded on 13 July, 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada the Guru and spiritual master of the organization to spread the teachings of Sankeerthana movement started by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

The headquarter of ISKCON is situated in Mayapur as the birthplace of Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (also known as Gauranga due to his golden complexion), a special incarnation of Lord Krishna in the mood of Shrimati Radharani.

Swami, when he first visited the US in 1966 and started by playing a small clay drum called mridanga and singing the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. He started at a place under the Tree in a park called Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan, New York, gathering followers and further formed the organization.

ISKCON teaches that the goal of life is to develop Love of God. Love of God is realized through the practice of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. This ancient yoga system teaches the art of spiritualizing all human activities. To achieve Krishna consciousness effectively, members chant and meditate upon the holy names of Lord Krishna. It is scripturally based on the 5,000-year-old Sanskrit text Bhagavad – Gita.

ISKCON bases its philosophy on the ancient Vedic literatures. These include the Bhagavad – Gita, the 30-volume Srimad Bhagavatam, and the 17-volume Chaitanya – caritamrita.  The first Hare Krishna commune was established by Prabhupada as “New Vrindavan” in West Virginia in 1968.

In 1970, Prabhupada established the Governing Board Commission (GBC) to help him administer the movement.