Remove Ads
3.7
3 votes

Maharishi Vedic City

1750 Maharishi Center Ave, Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa 52556 USA

Free
Free to Visit
Open Now
Thu 12a-11:59p
  • Independent
Add to Trip
Remove Ads

“Town modeled after Vedic Science”

Tucked away in the southeastern part of America's Heartland (AKA Iowa), lies a small, 1-square mile, hamlet of just a little over 250 people.* The town is located in Jefferson County In total there are about 140 households, and 48 families. According to the last census, the racial demographics of the town breakdowns as follows: 95% White, 1.5% African American, and 1.5% Asian. The official language of this Midwestern town: Sanskrit.  The town is Maharishi Vedic City (MVC), and it's a community based around the principles of the Veda, ancient Sanskrit texts that are focusedon balance and natural law. There are five-people who sit on a city council that serves as the presiding body of government. The sale of non-organic food is completely banned in the city limits. In fact, MVC operates a very successful organic farming operation and distributes to the Whole Foods chain. After the city banned the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers it became America's first all-organic city. MVC was incorporated in 2001 as "Vedic City", and a few months later was changed to "Maharishi Vedic City." The entire city plan is based on Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, which was "an ancient system of architecture and design, revived by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi," with the goals to "protect, nourish, and satisfy everyone, upholding the different social, cultural, and religious traditions while maintaining the integrity and progress of the city as a whole." There are 1,000 "experts" (i.e. pandits) who "gather twice daily to practice Transcendental Meditation and Yogic Flying to promote peace and harmony in the world." In Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, all structures are built according to precise Vedic proportions with rooms placed according to the movement of the sun and entrances that face due east. In addition, each building includes an interior, silent core called a "brahmasthan", a perimeter boundary called a "vastu fence" and a gold-colored roof fixture called a "kalash".

Read More >
Add Review
Thanks!
Your Rating
1
2
3
4
5

Reviewed by
Tatiana Danger

  • Road Warrior
  • 1,169 Reviews
  • 910 Helpful
October 18, 2014
Rated 3.0

This is a community based around the principles of the Veda, ancient Sanskrit texts that are focused on balance and natural law. There are five-people who sit on a city council that serves as the presiding body of government. The sale of non-organic food is completely banned in the city limits. In fact, MVC operates a very successful organic farming operation and distributes to the Whole Foods chain. After the city banned the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers it became America's first all-organic city.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Jana

  • 62 Reviews
  • 21 Helpful
August 28, 2018
Rated 4.0

Sort of hard to find, but when there you will find a small grassy parking area in front of white astronomical "machines" not sure how to describe them. They are permanent structures used to measure the motions of the heavens. I've never seen anything like them. Very pretty actually. Not much else to do here besides that. Worth a detour.

Was this helpful?

Reviewed by
ToddStruthers

  • 31 Reviews
  • 8 Helpful
August 18, 2018
Rated 3.0

This was an interesting stop to check stuff out, but you can only see things from the outside, so most of what you are doing is outside pictures of buildings. Stop at the raj to get maps, but she definitely gave me the impression tourists aren't super welcome. Personally i think we got better pictures and info at the management university in town.

Was this helpful?

Reviewed by
ereezy

  • 6 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
March 30, 2015
Rated 5.0

Sexy little town

Was this helpful?

Be the first to add a review to the Maharishi Vedic City.

Maharishi Vedic City

1750 Maharishi Center Ave
Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
52556 USA
Remove Ads

Hours

Open 24 hours today
  • Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Problem with this listing? Let us know.

Has RV parking changed? Let us know.

Remove Ads
  • Check
    Parking
  • Unknown
    Pets Allowed
  • Unknown
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unknown
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Unknown
    Credit Cards Accepted
See More Details (8)

Parking

Remove Ads

Nearby Hotels

Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa, Iowa
FastBook

Click to discover a
great deal!

Keosauqua, Iowa
FastBook

Click to discover a
great deal!

Remove Ads

Related Trip Guides

  • Trip Guide
  • 1 Week

A road trip along the Great River Road

  • 35 Places
  • 37:29
  • 1,907 mi
  • Trip Guide

The top things to do on a U.S. Route 20 road trip

  • 23 Places
  • 60:25
  • 3,576 mi
  • Trip Guide

The top things to do on an I-80 road trip

  • 35 Places
  • 53:41
  • 3,194 mi
Remove Ads
4706