MINDE, NORWAY: Bergen Hindu Sabha names both a religious community of Hindus from India and Sri Lanka, and also a Tamil Hindu temple of the Saiva tradition dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the God of intellect and wisdom and ruler of obstacles.
Its spokesperson, Raajini Rajalingam, says that Bergen Hindu Sabha has been active since the mid 1980s and was registered as a religious community with the County Governor of Hordaland in 1990. Statues were imported from India in the mid 1990’s, when the sabha maintained a temple in a rented space in nearby Bergen. The beautiful temple that exists today in Minde, converted from an old cinema building, was made possible by a loan, savings from collections, individual donations, and the hard work of many dedicated volunteers. It was inaugurated on August 27, 2004, in a five-day ceremony involving six priests, and today celebrates all religious festivals.
Today the sabha numbers about 700 members living in nearby communities. You can Take a tour of this temple by clicking on the link above.