“Vedic City” in southeast Iowa was incorporated last May, but is already getting international attention.After adopting Sanskrit as the town’s official language, Iowa’s newest city may use its own form of money. The currency is called “Raam” and consists of gold coins and paper bills. “Raam” is promoted internationally by the founders of the Transcendental Meditation movement, who also founded Maharishi University in Fairfield. Vedic City was created by practitioners of T-M and is located just north of Fairfield. One “Raam” is equivalent to 10 U.S. dollars. “Raam” would not replace U.S. currency which would still be accepted by Vedic City businesses. Vedic City is currently made up of spas, hotels, apartments, homes and villas. It occupies nearly 12-hundred acres of Jefferson County. The Vedic City City Council is investigating whether it would be feasible to use the “Raam” locally in Vedic City businesses.
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