On the evening of 5th August, I was invited to attend a special event at Bhaktivedanta Manor, one of the largest Hindu temples in the UK. It was an opportunity for the leaders of this institution to express their gratitude to all their supporters and well-wishers for their continual efforts over the last 44 years.
The temple has an incredible history since its establishment in 1973 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. This was only one of many temples to be inspired by the Swami, who began his mission outside of India beginning with his arrival in the USA in 1965. Nevertheless, this temple attained a unique status within his movement known as ISKCON, becoming its European Head Quarters.
The temple was attained through the gracious donation of George Harrison from the Beatles, and has grown in strength ever since, with Swami Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, which elaborate on the bhakti path from the Vedic writings, being the foundational inspiration for the communities’ development.
Over the evening as well as being treated to sumptuous prasadam or blessed food, we were entertained by an enchanting stage show which featured a South Asian dance performance from a finalist on BBC Four’s young dancers 2017 competition, later followed by a theatrical drama from the local Bhaktivedanta Players. These performances were interspersed with several speeches from the leaders of the community highlighting the numerous accolades and accomplishments that the community had achieved together.
From overcoming the threat of closure in 1994, and the subsequent purchase of land which increased their estate from 17 acres to 70 acres, they were able to create the largest Janmasthami Festival outside India which hosts approximately 70,000 pilgrims.
Furthermore, in 2010 they built Europe’s largest home for Cow Protection, and went on to inspire a series of schools across the UK under the Krishna Avanti trust, which hosts over 3000 school kids today.
An important feature of the evening was also an update on the latest addition to Bhaktivedanta Manor’s history, the building of the grand ‘haveli’, a £10 million building to address the ever-growing community’s needs which had been inaugurated by the former UK Prime minister, David Cameron in the ground-breaking ceremony.
What was abundantly clear from the presentations made that evening, is that no longer is the temple merely a shrine that pilgrims visit to pay homage to, but has transformed into a beacon for the Hindu community in the UK successfully representing Hindus in realms such as education, media and politics.
[Sachi Patel is currently pursuing a PhD in Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. His research interest includes the intersection between religious movements and political power, Indian Intellectual history, and the early modern world.]
