History, Timing, Architecture, Interesting Facts and Travel Guide of Shree Ganapathy Temple, Wimbledon, South West London, United Kingdom
The Shree Ganapathy Temple of Wimbledon is a Hindu shrine in England. It is situated in south-western London. The temple was built in 1980. Lord Ganesha is the chief deity of this temple. Apart from the main temple, other temples of Lord Krishna, Hanuman, and Goddess Durga are also present here. It was the first-ever completely sanctified Hindu temple in Europe. There is a Sai temple in the complex of the Ganapathy temple. The Sai temple was inaugurated in 1981. The temple is a prayer hall committed to Lord Sri Satya Sai Baba.
A few Hindu Saivite families from Sri Lanka started to live in and around Wimbledon. It was the case in 1979. They eventually started gathering in small groups at a local community hall for spiritual purposes. They began to worship Lord Ganapathy in the hall. With a small idol of Lord Ganapathy, they started the worship every Friday. They also hired a local priest to perform the rituals. These worships and spiritual gatherings were giving them spiritual relief. They started reliving the joyful moments of religious synchronization that they used to share in their mother country. By the passing months, the number of devotees started increasing. The gathering was getting bigger. All those devotees wanted to participate in the spiritual service every week. This is when they started to feel the need for a permanent and consecrate building. They wanted to make the building a priority for Hindu worship. As a result of this, the Ganapathy temple was made. The temple building was a discarded Christian Presbyterian Church. It was also used as a community center before the making of the shrine. Finally, the art of turning it into a Hindu Temple started in 1980. The Maha Kumbhabhisekam was performed in 1981. After that, the temple became the first solely dedicated Hindu temple in Europe. The adjacent church hall was renovated into a Sai Mandir. It was inaugurated on 1st January 1981.
Architecture of Shree Ganapathy Temple, Wimbledon
As the temple was constructed using a Church Community Center, the interior of it has a fundamental square shape. Although, the rest of the architecture was inspired by the Dravidian style of architecture. Such architecture is a conventional style of the South Indian temples. The columns and walls of the temple are designed with prominent carvings.Festivals celebrated at Shree Ganapathy Temple, Wimbledon
The Rath Yatra or Chariot festival is the most important festival celebrated in this Ganapathy temple. It is one of the most significant festivals for the Hindus. The Chariot festival is mostly celebrated by the end of June or the beginning of July. A huge chariot is shown in the way of a procession on the roads. Many people gather to participate in this procession. The roads from where the chariot moves become decorated with flower petals and colors. Rath yatra is mainly the festival of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. The long march is such a beautiful thing to witness.
Another important festival is the Ganesh Chaturthi. As the temple is solely dedicated to Lord Ganesha, this festival is celebrated with the same enthusiasm as the Chariot festival. The deity is ornamented with floral jewelry and new Attire. The temple complex remains very crowded during the festivals.
Special ritual followed at Shree Ganapathy Temple, Wimbledon
Omam is a special type of ritual found specifically at this Ganapathy temple. It is a special type of Pooja where many Hindu pastors congregate in one place and create a holy ritual fire. They use fire as a medium for offerings to the gods and goddesses. They take those offerings from the devotees along with their wishes and put them into the fire to pass them to the deities. This ritual takes place on one of the auspicious days of Navratri.
Shree Ganapathy Temple, Wimbledon Daily Darshan time
The temple opens at 9.00 am and closes at 9.30 pm. This is the timetable for every day.
To know anything further, people can contact the temple committee at enquiries@ghanapathy.com or +44 20 8542 7482.
The temple is a very popular religious place for the Hindus residing in UK. Every year many devotees visit the temple just to be a part of the Chariot Festival. It is a great thing to witness.
How to Reach Shree Ganapathy Temple, Wimbledon,Britain.
The London City Airport (LCA) is the nearest option to reach Wimbledon. Cab services are frequently available from the airport to reach this temple. Public buses and taxis are also available from a neighbouring city to reach there.
