Oldham’s iconic temple brought together 2,700 revellers in celebration of its 47th anniversary, marking two years at its new site.
Taking place at the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir between 5th and 11th August, worshippers gathered to enjoy food, music and cultural programs, while reflecting on the temple’s history and the people behind its story.
Hindu monks from India journeyed to the Northern town for the festive period, which continued the temple’s tradition of opening for darshan every single day since it re-opened at the new site two years ago.
Surrounded by laughs, gratitude and warm smiles, Mandir Trustee Anil Kara shared his appreciation for the volunteers who help run the temple on a day-to-day basis.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of this temple is that it has become a place for our community to join, learn, and share our cultural traditions,” he explained.
“It is the third Swaminarayan temple in the UK, but was the first Swaminarayan temple to hold prayer services seven days a week both mornings and evenings.
“It has been a blessing to be able to build this place of worship for not only the people of Manchester, but to those throughout the UK and beyond.”
Visitors travelled from London, Cardiff and Scotland for the unique event, with the main sponsors of the week’s festivities putting on variety of cuisines, including Italian, English, Mexican, Indian and Gurjati.
Mr Kara reflected on the festivities:
“All the food was made by the temple volunteers and was all vegetarian, as we do not comsume any type of meat, fish or eggs.
“We also had number of cultural programs from dancing, musical performances and reenactments of key stories from the lords time on earth.
“One of the most rewarding aspects is the volunteers who come to help clean, cook and maintain the temple, which has become a place for the whole Oldham community to join, learn, and share our cultural traditions.”
Since opening, the temple has held numerous community events and fundraisers, including mental health awareness sessions to challenge stigmas in South Asian communities and a garden party to raise money for local charities like Maggies and domestic charity Saheli.
The temple also features sports facilities and clubs, including women-only netball and football, and has held yoga, traditional dohl and piano classes.
Temple President Hitesh Bhudia added that earlier this year the temple, partnered with Manchester FA and Active Through Football Oldham to host a women’s only football session.
President Bhudia continued:
“Getting the opportunity to hold sessions such as women’s only football, has helped bring the community together and highlights the importance of unification.
“We hope the activities and events we are putting on for Hindu and non-Hindu community continues to bring people together and serves our community for generations to come.”
