The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was founded in New York in 1966 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977). Srila Prabhupada was a distinguished scholar, teacher and practitioner of Vedic religion, philosophy, and culture. He established ISKCON as a means of sharing Krishna conscious culture with the world. He revealed a 5,000-year-old unbroken chain of spiritual teaching originating from the Supreme Lord Himself.