Bhubaneswar/Bath: With the joint efforts from the Odisha Society United Kingdom and Bath Hindu Community, the long-standing dream for a Jagannath Temple to be built in the United Kingdom is all set to come true.
The upcoming complex, named ‘Shree Jagannatha Temple UK’ would be the first of its kind in the entire sovereign state, informed Susmita Rajhansha, the founder member of Bath Hindu Community. She is also the organising secretary of Odisha Society, United Kingdom.
“Besides the Odia community here, different communities have shown support for this project. It is a cross-cultural project. We are also in touch with the Jagannath Temple unit in the USA, “said Susmita.
She further informed that they have enlisted a few suitable sites for a lookout. 6-10 acres of land either at London, Reading, Cardiff is also being scouted for the purpose. But the preferable location remains the city of Bath which will get its first Hindu temple. She clarified, “It is often misunderstood by people that Iskcon Temple at Trafalgar Square, London is Jagannath Temple. But in reality, there isn’t a Jagannath Temple in the entire United Kingdom.”
Susmita who hails from Bhubaneswar also added, “People across the globe have been supporting this project. We (the Sevaks) belong to different communities originating from India, however, here in the UK, we are ‘Indians’ and followers of Shree Jagannatha Culture. The vision to build this temple would be to pass the rich culture and heritage from our roots in India to our future generations here. This temple complex would serve as a hub of enhancing spiritual, cultural, social and physical growth based on the Sanatan Dharma principles of duty towards our family and society.”
The Community also virtually celebrated ‘Shree Krishna Utsav’ to mark Janmashtami on August 9 and it was joined by many eminent personalities from across the globe, including the Adi Sankaracharya of Govardhan Math Puri. “We were blessed by Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Shri Nischalananda Saraswati on this pious occasion who extended his advice and guidance for establishing the temple in the UK,” said Susmita.
The Bath Hindu Community has also been organising Rath Yatra celebrations in the city for over a decade. However, with the onslaught of the pandemic this year, they celebrated the ‘Global Virtual Netra Utsav’ on June 20 to mark Rath Yatra 2020 in the city. The event was also a COVID-19 fundraising event and was joined by devotees of Lord Jagannath from over 30 countries who extended their support for ‘Shree Jagannath Temple UK’, including Governor of Odisha Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Minister Of State Pratap Sarangi, Gajapati Maharaj Shri Divyasingh Deb and Dr Chandrasekhar Khuntia, founder of Global Jagannath Fraternity, UAE.
