Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in United Kingdom-8





























Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in United Kingdom











Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford  (Bradford Mandir), United Kingdom

Shree Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple, Bradford

ADDRESS

Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford
341 Leeds Road
Bradford
BD3 9LS
Telephone : 01274 395603
fax          : 01274 395603
Email        : info@bradfordmandir.org

 ABOUT US

The Braford Mandir is a Hindu Temple on Leeds Road in Bradford. It is the oldest place of Hindu worship in West Yorkshire. The temple, which started out with just a handful of families, now attracts some 2000-3000 worshippers. The temple is attached to a community centre which provides hot lunches for elderly people, religious education classes, cultural activities and mother tongue classes.
The purpose of this web site to provide information of the religious services, educational classes, events and festival celebrations that are held at Bradford Mandir along with a description of the various features of the mandir. We've also included a brief introduction to Hinduism.
When coming to the mandir everyone is required to take off their shoes before entering. Everyone is expected to be sitting down together on the carpeted floor in the prayer hall. The mandir provides the environment for people to meditate and reach out to God. During service the mandir encourages the devotees to participate by singing bhajans.
Our Temple priest is Shri. Shakti Dhar Sharma ji (PhD in Sanskrit)

Temple Opening Times

Monday to Sunday Mornings 09:00 am to 12:30 pm
Monday to Saturday Afternoon 16:30 pm to 19:30 pm
Sunday Afternoon 15:30pm to 19:00pm

Aarti Times

First Aarti daily 9:00 am
Second Aarti daily 12:00 noon
Third Aarti Mon - Sat 7:00 pm
Sunday Aarti 4.00--6:25 pm (Bhajan Kirtan and Parvachan)

Weekly Programmes

Every Sunday
Special Bhajans chanting, Prayers, and Pravachan on Braham Vidya by Pt. Shakti Dhar Sharma.

Every Monday
Shiv Chalisa, Shiv Stuti, Shiv Ashtak, Om Mahima prayers from 6:00 pm

Every Tuesday
Devotees read Sunderkand from Tulsi Ramayan from 10:45am
Devotees chant Hanuman Chalisa, Sankat Mochan, & Hanuman Baan

Every Wednesday
Devotees sing Bhajans, Hari Nam Sankirtan, Bhagwati ki Bantein, Stuti from 6:00pm

Every Thursday
Devotees sing Bhajans, Hari Nam Sankirtan, Bhagwati ki Bantein, Stuti from 6:00 pm

Every Friday
Devotees sing Bhajans, Hari Nam Sankirtan, Bhagwati ki Batein, Stuti from 6:00 pm

Everyone is welcome to participate to make these programmes more successful.
The Mandir conducts Hindi Classes for Children on the weekend, Sunday 16:30 to 18:30
Hindu Kids Club meets on the first Sunday of every month between 17:30 and 18:30 to sing Bhajans, read mantra's, hear mythological stories, undertake craft activities and have fun. 6 - 11 years old children welcome to participate. 
Devotees can book for Sunday Aarti and other religious functions like Mata ki Chownky
For information please contact
Sh. Shakti Dhar Sharma Priest: 01274-729587

 Secretary Mr Subash Dharni: 01274 426350 Mobile: 07939554651

The Managing Director Mr Baldev Bhardwaj: 01274 307811
to Contact office: 01274-395603 Between 10.00 to 2.30 from Tuesday to Friday

The History

The majority of Hindus came to the U.K in the 1950s, 60 and 70s in search of work and to meet the economic needs of their families back home. Most of the Hindus came to the U.K from Punjab and Gujarat in India and also from East Africa in 1970s. In the beginning years, they faced severe hardship and struggle to make both ends meet and lived in very poor conditions. It was a matter of survival. They worked very hard, often working long hours to establish themselves in the U.K. Most of them had young family’s. Once they were fully settled in the U.K, they felt the need to create a common place, where they could meet regularly to meet their Social, Cultural and religious needs. They felt that if they didn’t take action then, they and their children may lose touch with their religion and culture.
I would like to mention the names of some of the people, who took this initiative to establish an institution to safeguard the interest of the Hindu Community. They were Mr K.K Mittal, Mr Saxena, Mr Jagdish Chawla, Mr P.N Chawla, Mrs Popli, Mr Bhola, Mr Balwant Rai Sharda, Pandit Hari Krishan Sharma, Mrs Ram Piari Sharma, Mr D.N Prarbhakar Mr Tirath Ram Sharma Mr Sohan Lal Dharni Mr Raj Pal Dharni and many more. Mr Jagdish Chawla was the 1st elected president of the Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford
In 1968 they formed the Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford and adopted a constitution to promote Hinduism in the region and to safeguard the interest of the Hindu Community. They started looking for a suitable place to establish a Worship Hall. But all there efforts were unsuccessful, as they could not find a suitable place, which they could have converted into a worship hall or a Temple. Then the Hindu Community decided to establish a make shift temple in a House and so bought a house in Bradford 7 and set up a temple in a Terraced House. They then started going round Hindu community member’s houses to conduct Sunday Kirtan to raise funds for a bigger place.
In July 1973, the Hindu Culture Society of Bradford managed to buy the 311-321 Leeds Road. Planning permission was obtained from the Bradford Metropolitan Council to establish this Worship place for the Hindus of Bradford and the surrounding areas. The prominent members of the community such as Mr K.K Mittal, Mr Tirth Ram, Mr P.N Chawla, Mr Saxena and Mr Bholla gave personal guarantees to the bank to obtain the necessary loan to buy this building. The community members worked very hard to clean this building, to bring it to the standard, so that they could establish a place of Worship. 
On 3rd of August 1974 Murti- Procession of deities took place around Bradford and Murti Sataphan was perfomed at 321 Leeds Road, Bradford, and the first Hindu Place of Worship was established in the city of Bradford. It was a very joyous occasion for the Hindu Community of Bradford. The new Temple was decorated with 5 beautiful paintings of renowned artist such as Shri Shanti Dutta and Prof P.B Lal, which was funded by the Yorkshire art council. As the Hindu community grew in and around Bradford, The Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford began to realise the need of a bigger Purpose built Temple for the growing needs of the community. From 1980 to 2000 various members of the Hindu Community served the Hindu Culture Society of Bradford in various capacities and worked hard to promote Hinduism and to safeguard the interest of the Hindu Community.
I would like to mention the names of Mr S.L Khanna, Mr R.P Johar, MR D.D Sharma, Mr A.K Guatam, Mr K.D Soni,, Mr Mukesh Chawla, Mr Murari Lal Gupta, Mr Rajeev Deweedi, Mrs Saroj Joshi, Mr K Pharbahkar, Mrs Pushpa Pharbahakar, Mrs Shila Parbhakar ( Known as Mata Ji) Mr Gian Chand Sharma, Mr Subhash Dharni and Mr A.P Dharni. To obtain the grant from the local authority Mr D.D Sharma, Mrs Sushma Puri and Mrs Neelam Deversher advised and helped the Hindu Cultural Society. I am also grateful to Mr Yash Pal Bhalla for his efforts to collect money for the new Mandir project through Mata Ki Chowkies .

The New Temple

The idea of having a purpose built temple gained momentum and a Building committee was formed under the Chairmanship of Mr A.P Dharni to build a new Temple to meet the growing needs of the Hindus in Bradford and surrounding areas. The other members of the committee were Mr Rajeev Deweedi, Mrs Pushpa Parbahakar, , Mrs Saroj Joshi, Mr Baldev Krishan Bhardwaj, Mr Subash Dharni, Mrs Neelam Devasher. Mr Kamal Jit Sharma and Mr Ashok Nair were appointed as Co-ordinators of the new Mandir project Building Committee.
On 14th of May 2006 the stone laying ceremony was performed in a very low key affair and the contract of £2.7 million was awarded to Brenville construction company to build the first ever purpose built Hindu Temple in the North of U.K . When we started this project, we only had £300,000 in our bank. The project progressed well in the initial stages, but soon it ran into difficulties due to financial shortages and other problems. Then we realised the need of a religious leader, who could guide us through the very difficult times and who could help us on the religious and spiritual side of the temple. With the kind grace of God, we came into contact with Dharamrattan H.H Swami Sri Gopal Saran Devacharaya Ji Maharaj. He very kindly accepted our request and assured us he would render all his help. He visited the temple for the first time on 5th May 2007 and advised us about shrines and deities. It was on Swami Ji Maharaj’s kind advice that we decided to install Shree Lakshmi Narayan as our main deity and name our Temple as Shree Lakshmi Narayan Temple. We then applied for a bank loan. With a lot of difficulty and hard work, we managed to obtain £1.2 million of Loan from Lloyds TSB Bank.
Many members of the Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford gave an interest free loan for the new Temple project. Since Swami Ji Maharaj joined us, the new Temple project gained impetus and progressed very well. On 24th of May 2007 Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh came to Bradford to inaugurate the Worship Hall of Shree Lakshmi Narayan Temple. It was a Historic moment for the Hindus living in the U.K, as it was the very first time that Her Majesty the Queen had inaugurated the Worship Hall of any Hindu Temple in the U.K and abroad. Despite all the financial and other difficulties, we have managed to complete this Temple. I think all the credit goes to our donors and the members of the Hindu Cultural Society, who donated generously towards this very prestigious Religious place.
I am very grateful to H.H Swami Sri Gopal Saran Davacharya Ji Maharaj for his dedicated and devoted services towards the Shree Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple. I feel without His Holinesses services, we would have struggled to complete this project. Mr Rajinder Pal Shukla and Mr B.C Mittal worked very efficiently to maintain the financial account of the Hindu Cultural Society. My special thanks go to all the members, who worked very hard to realise this project such as Mr Balakrishnan, Mr Baldev Krishan Bhardwaj, Mrs Saroj Joshi and Mr Kamal Jit Sharma. I sincerely hope that the new Temple will bring peace, prosperity and harmony among the Hindu Cultural Society members and help to bring the community together. I feel that this temple will be a source of inspiration for many generations to come and put them on the path of righteousness.
I pray for the unity and strength among the Hindu Community in the U.K  - Mr A P Dharni, Chairman
THE BUILDING COMMITTEE
  • Mr. A.P. Dharni
  • Mr. P. K. Bose
  • Mr. K.J. Sharma
  • Mr. S. Balakrishnan
  • Mrs. S. Joshi
  • Mrs. P. Parbhakar
  • Mr. K. D. Soni

HINDUISM

How Do You Define Hinduism?
It is not easy to define Hinduism, for it is more than a religion in the Western sense. Hinduism can best be defined as a way of life based on the teachings of ancient sages and scriptures like the Vedas and the Upanishads. The word dharma connotes "that which supports the universe" and effectively means any path of spiritual discipline which leads to God. Hinduism is also known by the names Sanatana Dharma and Vaidika Dharma. Sanatana Dharma means the eternal religion. Vaidika Dharma means the religion of the Vedas.
Hindu Dharma, as one scholar analogises, can be compared to a fruit tree, with its roots representing the Vedas and the Upanishads, the thick trunk symbolising the spiritual experiences of numerous sages and saints, its branches representing various theological traditions, and the fruit itself, in different shapes and sizes, symbolising various sects and subsects. However, the concept of Hinduism defies a definite definition because of its uniqueness.
A Religion of Freedom
Hinduism allows absolute freedom to the rational mind of man. Hinduism never demands an undue restraint upon the freedom of human reason, the freedom of thought, feeling and will of man. It allows the widest freedom in matters of faith and worship. It allows absolute freedom to the human reason and heart with regard to questions such as the nature of God, soul, creation, form of worship, and goal of life. It does not force or prevent anybody to reflect, investigate, enquire, and cogitate. Hence, all sorts of religious faiths, various forms of worship or Sadhana, diverse kinds of rituals and customs, have found their honourable place side by side within Hinduism, and are cultured and developed in harmonious relationship with one another. Hinduism does not dogmatically assert that the final emancipation is possible only through its means and not through any other. It is only a means to an end, and all means which will ultimately lead to the end are equally approved. The religious hospitality of Hinduism is proverbial. Hinduism is extremely catholic and liberal. This is the fundamental feature of Hinduism. Hinduism pays respects to all religions. It does not revile any other religion. It accepts and honours truth, wherever it may come from and whatever garb it may put on.

The Hindu Scriptures

The Sruti and the Smriti are the two authoritative sources of Hinduism. ‘Sruti’ literally means ‘what is heard’, and ‘Smriti’ means ‘what is remembered’. Sruti is revelation; Smriti is tradition. What is revealed is Sruti. Upanishad is a Sruti. What is remembered is Smriti. Bhagavad-Gita is Smriti. Sruti is direct experience. Great Rishis heard the eternal truths of religion and left a record of them for the benefit of posterity. These records constitute the Vedas. Hence, Sruti is primary authority. Smriti is a recollection of that experience. Hence, it is secondary authority. The Smriti is a recollection of that experience. Hence, Sruti is secondary authority. The Smriti or Dharma Shastras are founded on the Sruti. They also are books written by sages, but they are not the final authority. If there is anything in a Smriti which contradicts the Sruti, the Smriti is to be rejected. Bhagavad-Gita also is a Smriti. So is Mahabharata, too.
The Vedas and the Upanishads
Srutis are called the Vedas or the Amnaya. These are direct intuitional revelations and are held to be Apaurusheya or entirely superhuman, without any author in particular. The Vedas are eternal truths revealed by God to the great ancient Rishis of India. The word ‘Rishi’ means ‘a seer’. The Rishis saw the truths or heard them. Therefore the Vedas are called Sruti or what are heard. The Rishi did not write. He did not create it out of his mind. He was the seer of the thought which existed already. He was only the spiritual discoverer of the thought.
The Rishis are not the inventors of the Veda. They were only a media to transmit to people the intuitional experiences which they received. The truths of the Vedas are revelations. All the other religions of the world trace their authority to having been delivered by special Messengers of God or prophets, but the Vedas do not owe their authority to anyone. They are themselves the authority as they are eternal. The Vedas are the oldest books in the library of man. They are the ultimate source to which all religious knowledge can be traced.
The Upanishads are the concluding portions of the Vedas, or the end of the Vedas. The teaching based on them is called Vedanta. The Upanishads are the gist, the goal of the Vedas. They form the very foundation of Hinduism. The most important Upanishads are Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasn, Mundaka, Mandukya, Aitareya, Taittiriya, Chhandogya, Brihadarnayaka, Kaushitaki and Svetasvatara. These are supremely authoritative. The different philosophers of India belonging to different schools such as Advaita, Qualified Monism or Visishtadvaita, Dualism, Pure Monism, Bhedabheda, etc., have acknowledged the supreme authority of the Upanishads. They have given their own interpretations, but they have obeyed the authority. They have built their philosophy on the foundation of the Upanishads. The philosophy of the Upanishads is sublime, profound, lofty, and soul-stirring. The Upanishads reveal the most subtle spiritual truths.
Even the Western scholars have paid their tribute to the seers of the Upanishads. They have been amazed at the lofty heights scaled by the Upanishads. Schopenhauer studied the Upanishads and meditated on the thoughts of the Upanishads just before going to bed. He said: “The Upanishads are the solace of my life, and they will be solace to me after my death also”. The teachings of the Rishis of yore do not pertain to Hindus alone. They are of an all-embracing, universal nature. They are meant for the people of the whole world. The Gita and the Upanishads are books for the people of the whole world.
Emphasis on Practice
Hinduism provids spiritual food for all sorts of people to suit their temperaments, capacities, tastes, stages of spiritual development, and conditions of life.  It prescribes Yoga Sadhana to attain God-realisation, while doing ones ordinary avocation in the world.  Hindu yoga and Vedanta teachers lay great stress on self-restraint, meditation, renunciation and practical Sadhana, which is best to control the mind and the senses and unfold the Divinity within or attain Self-realisation. Yoga is eminently practical to practise.
Religion is the practical aspect of philosophy.  Philosophy is the rational aspect of religion.  The philosophy of Hinduism is not armchair philosophy.  It is not meant for intellectual curiosity and vain discussion.  Hindu philosophy is a way of life.  The philosopher of Hinduism seriously reflects after hearing the Srutis, does Atma-Vochara, constantly meditates, and then attains Self-realisation or Atma-sakshatkara.  Moksha is his goal.  He attempts to attain Jivanmukti now and here.


Hindu Temple Bradford
Thought for the Day : Life is what you make it.
                                                           "MIND"                                                      
 There are three Saktis (powers, potencies) in the mind, viz., Ichha Sakti (Will), Kriya Sakti (Action) and Jnana Sakti (Knowledge). A desire arises in the mind. This is Ichha Sakti. The mind exerts to have this desire gratified. This is Kriya Sakti. It plans, schemes and finds out methods, etc., for the achievement of the desired object. This is Jnana Sakti.

Vedana-Sakti (power of perception), Smarana-Sakti or Smriti-Sakti (power of memory), Bhavana-Sakti (Power of imagination), Manisha-Sakti (power of judgment), Ichha-Sakti or Sankalpa-Sakti (will or volition) and Dharana-Sakti (power to hold) are the six important powers of the mind.

                                                                  Vedana-Sakti

Vedana-Sakti is power of cognition or sensation or power of perception and knowing through Indriyas or senses (Indriya-Jnana or sense-knowledge).

                                                                    Smriti-Sakti

The Smriti-Sakti does three things. It grasps. It holds. It brings to memory whenever a thing is needed. Though the power of grasping is done by the Vedana-Sakti of the mind (power of perception or cognition), the Smriti-Sakti also participates in the act of grasping.

Suppose you hear the sound of a bell in the temple. The memory Sakti grasps it. Then it retains it through Dharana. When you hear again the sound of the temple bell, it at once reminds you, "This is the temple bell. This is not the hostel bell."

In Dhyana, the mind grasps and takes possession of its perceptions or judgments. It makes the content of the idea its own. It strengthens the Samskaras so that a voluntary recall is rendered easy.

                                                                      Bhavana-Sakti

You have never seen an elephant riding a cycle. When a man, who has actually seen it, gives you a description, your mind forms a mental picture at once. This is done by the Bhavana-Sakti (power of imagination) of the mind.

                                                                       Manisha-Sakti

Power of comparing and contrasting, drawing inferences, discussion, conclusion, all belong to Manisha-Sakti of the mind. The Manisha-Sakti (power of judgment) has got two subdivisions, viz., Nirnaya (ascertainment) and Tarka (logical reasoning).

A is mortal. B is mortal. C is mortal. Again, all men are mortal. Mr. Choudhary is a man. Therefore, Choudhary is mortal. These sorts of drawing conclusions through inductive and deductive logic with major and minor premises and middle term or through the five parts of syllogistic reasoning of Gautama Rishi's Indian Logic (Nyaya) are done by Manisha-Sakti of the mind with the help of Nirnaya and Tarka.

Tarka has got two other subdivisions, viz., Anumana (inference) and Paramarsa (discussion). When you see a river in full flood in the morning, you infer that there ought to have been rain during previous night. When you see smoke on the hills, you infer that there ought to be fire also on the hill. This is due to Anumana.

                                                                         Ichha-Sakti

Will is Atma-Sakti. It is the dynamic aspect of Brahman. Will is Brahman in motion. In Vedanta, will plays a very conspicuous part.

Much has been said about the power of imagination in the West-that it is the most tremendous power in the human mind and that in a conflict between the will and the imagination, the imagination would invariably win the day.

Some people say that the will is greater than imagination. In the East, amongst the Vedantins, will is regarded as a greater faculty than imagination. What would the imagination do without the impelling power of the will to execute with dynamic power the desires, wishes and ideals?

There is correlation, co-ordination and co-operation between the different principles in the mind. Therefore, who can say which is great or small, important or unimportant when each depends upon the other for its power? It cannot be truly said that the one is greater than the other, for their independence and power are derived from one another.

                                                                       Dharana-Sakti

Dharana-Sakti (power to hold) is really a part of memory or Smarana-Sakti. In common parlance, we say, "Mr. Ramakrishna is a man of good Dharana in Vedanta." Here it means that Mr. Ramakrishna has got fixed and steady ideas in Vedanta. He cannot be changed by anybody. He is not of a wavering nature. He sticks to Vedanta alone. Nobody can shake him. 
To be continue:-
                                                      Forthcoming programmes
If you want to book any programme in Mandir, Kindly contact us at 01274-395603   to leave message. Pandit ji Mob:07790614916.Mr Baldev Krishen 01274 307811.
Yoga Class every Thursday from 6.30 to 8.00 P.M
A Youth Club HINDU DHARMA & HINDU YOUTH has been started in the mandir on 12th January 2014 every first sunday of the month 5 o'clock till 6:30pm.We are going to learn about Hinduism,festivals,art& craft and fun activities.Any young children coming to temple are welcome!! for further information please contact Mrs Prabhakar  or temple :01274-395603.
Kindly try to attend the following programmes:-

27th Feb 2014
 
  7:00pm - 9:00pm

 Mahashivratri Pooja
 Mandir open all day
2nd March 2014
4:30pm - 7:00pm
  Sankeertan,Aarti & Bhojan --- Mrs Shakuntla Sharma & Family.
 17th March 2014
        
 Holi Festival (For information only)










The Queen's Visit

The Queen and Prince Phillip visited the Bradford Temple to inaugurate our new worship hall on 24th May 2007 in the presence His Holiness Sri Swami Gopalsharandevacharya ji Maharaj. The president of Hindu Cultural Society, Mr Baldev Krishen, Mr A P Dharni (Chairman of Trustees) and Vice Chairman Mr S Balakrishanan received and welcomed Her Majesty to the new Temple. It was a very honoured occasion for the Hindu community of Bradford and West Yorkshire. There were other dignitaries and VIPs gracing the occasion including His Excellency Mr Kamlesh Sharma, High Commission of India and local Councillors and MP's. Mr Kamal jit Sharma (Secretary) conducted the welcome ceremony and Mr Subash Dharni welcomed all members. Dr Shakti Dhar Sharma (priest) recited the mantras and welcomed Her Majesty and Prince Phillip with garlands. It was a  very joyous occasion for everyone.

The New Hindu Temple and Community Centre Appeal

The Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford has engaged in an ambitious project to build a new Hindu Temple and Community Centre on Leeds Road, Bradford 3, West Yorkshire.
The Hindu Community first settled in the Leeds Road area of Bradford in the sixties and now numbers about 7,000 in and around the Bradford district. Since these early days, some of us set up businesses in a variety of fields. We diverged throughout the district and we believe that we have made a significant contribution to both the city’s economic and cultural life.
Many of our children have benefited from the educational system and have gone on to pursue careers in the professions and businesses. As a community, we are grateful to Bradford and the opportunities, it has given us. We now wish to put something back.
We first established our Temple and Community Centre in a disused Social Club on Leeds Road in the sixties. This building is old and requires constant repair and is also insufficient to meet our needs. We embarked on an ambitious project to build a new Temple and Community Centre. These will be separate buildings that will look like a single building. The design of Temple will reflect our cultural and religious heritage, but also reflect the architectural style of Bradford and it will be finished in Yorkshire Stone. We hope that the building will show that we are British Hindus.
The Community Centre will provide facilities for our Elderly Day Care services, educational and cultural activities along with our religious festivals. The Centre will be available for any community group to use. There will be facilities for Football, Badminton, Basketball and Volleyball along with a Stage and Kitchen facilities. We hope to encourage other communities to get to know us and share our rich cultural and religious heritage. Over 2,000 school children visited our present Temple, last year and we will continue to welcome them and other groups in years to come.
Work on the new Temple started in June this year and is now will underway. We hope to start the second phase, the Community and Sports Centre next year. The total c ost of the project will be about £5 millions. Where ever possible, we have used West Yorkshire companies to carry out the work. The main Contractor, Brenville Construction Ltd, is Bradford based.
We have already collected nearly £1 million in pledges, but there is still a long way to go. We are now making appeal to the Hindu Community at larg e and the business community for their help. We hope that our Temple will be a major boost to Bradford’s regeneration and be an important gateway building on Leeds Road to the City Centre. We would be most grateful if everybody can support and contribute financially towards this worthy cause. Should you require any further information to make a generous contribution, please contact us.
About Temples
Temples or Mandirs (abode or dwelling) or Devalaya (abode of God) play central role in the lives of Hindus. They attract the follower to a place that is considered to be the ‘Kingdom of God’ where one can see God, render service to Him, learn about Him and associate with His devotees so as to make the path home, back to Godhead easier.
The unique feature of the Vedic (Hindu) teaching is that it can be applied, with the guidance of a spiritual teacher, according to time, place and circumstance. Temples in the West have adopted this same approach without loosing their essential function. Besides solely being the place of worship, they also accommodate recreational and social functions.
The first Hindu temple in Britain opened in late 1920s near Earls Court, London, and functioned for about four years. Over 20 years later a ‘home temple’ with stunning Deities began Hindu worship in North London, which still continues today. But it wasn’t till the arrival of the Hindu community in late 60s and early 70’s that many temples came into existence. They continue to serve the British community with the same spirit of dynamism as the temples in India have done for thousands of years.

News
Queen removes shoes for visit to temple
Thursday 24nd May 2007 - Telegraph and Argus
Even the Queen was not exempt from taking off her shoes at a £3 million Hindu Temple she opened in Bradford today.

Queen removes shoes for visit to temple 
Faith creates £3m temple for Hindu community
Monday 22nd May 2006 - Telegraph and Argus
The foundation stones has been laid for a new Hindu temple in Bradford which will be the biggest of its kind in the North of England. ASIAN EYE spoke to the Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford to see how the community's modest beginning has grown into a prospering part of the city's faith groups.

£3m Hindu temple soon to take shape
Monday 15th May 2006 - Telegraph & Argus
Hindus have laid the foundations of a new £3 million temple which will be the biggest Hindu temple in the north of England.


 ADDRESS

Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford
341 Leeds Road
Bradford
BD3 9LS
Telephone : 01274 395603
fax          : 01274 395603
Email        : info@bradfordmandir.org



Om Tat Sat
                                                        
(Continued...)                                                                                                                             



(My humble  salutations to the great devotees   and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the collection)


(The Blog  is reverently for all the seekers of truth, lovers of wisdom and   to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the spiritual path and also this is purely  a non-commercial blog)



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