Srila Prabhupada’s Early Disciples Support Installation of Commemorative Plaque at Stowe Lake

Stowe Lake courtesy of Daderot, Wikimedia Commons

Tucked away in San Francisco’s expansive Golden Gate Park is a lovely lake with an island called Stowe Lake. It was a favorite spot for Srila Prabhupada to circumambulate during his daily morning walks. “One of the great pleasures for devotees in San Francisco was taking these early morning walks with Srila Prabhupada,” said HG Malati Devi Dasi. “The main place where that occurred was Stowe Lake.”

To provide a spiritual touchpoint for devotees visiting Stowe Lake, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to fund the installation of a commemorative plaque in honor of Srila Prabhupada there. The campaign has received the endorsement of several early San Francisco pioneers like HG Shyamasundar das, HG Malati devi dasi, and HG Gurudas. The initiative started in November 2022 and is halfway to achieving its goal.

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, which manages over 220 parks, playgrounds, and open spaces throughout San Francisco, has a paid program that would install a commemorative plaque about Srila Prabhupada on a bench in Stow Lake for ten years. The funds generated from these plaque placements help the department protect and maintain the park.