{"id":4633,"date":"2004-10-10T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2004-10-10T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hinduismtoday.com\/hpi\/2004\/10\/10\/2004-10-10-gurjar-hindu-union-creates-temple\/"},"modified":"2004-10-10T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2004-10-10T12:00:00","slug":"2004-10-10-gurjar-hindu-union-creates-temple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hinduismtoday.com\/hpi\/2004\/10\/10\/2004-10-10-gurjar-hindu-union-creates-temple\/","title":{"rendered":"Gurjar Hindu Union Creates Temple"},"content":{"rendered":"

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CRAWLEY, UNITED KINGDOM, September 6, 2004: This August, the Hindu community in Crawley celebrated Shila Nyas (foundation stone laying ceremony) at the recently purchased 2.9 acre site at Appletree Farm in Ifield, Crawley. The site will accommodate the first Sanatan Mandir and Community Centre (SMCC) in the South East of England. Over 500 people including local dignitaries and members of the local community witnessed this celebration. Mr. Bharat Lukka, the President of the Gurjar Hindu Union (GHU) said that the ceremony was very successful, and around US$179,000 was raised towards the development of the project. Marble carvings were ceremonially placed in the ground at the spot where the Temple will be constructed. In Hindu culture, the construction of the building may commence after Shila Nyas. The SMCC project consists of a 300 square meter Sanatan Mandir with a 1,200 square meter community hall, and 250 car parking spaces set in landscaped grounds. Local architects and professional temple builders from India are working with the GHU to finalize details of the project. The Mandir will be of hand-carved Indian marble. The project conforms to local planning laws, and is estimated to cost over US$6.3 million including the purchase of the site. GHU has appointed a strong fund-raising team. Building work should commence next year and be completed by 2007. The local Hindu community has been striving for 15 years to secure the land to build the SMCC, and all the hard work has paid off. The GHU was formed by a group of Asians from East Africa and India who came to settle in Crawley.

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\nGurjar – derived from Gujarat – is a predominantly Hindu state in the North Western part of India, and many in the community came from there or have links with the area. Crawley was a new town, full of promise and employment opportunities, and so became a major attraction for the early Hindus arriving to live in the UK. The GHU was formed in 1968, giving members moral and spiritual support, enabling them to take an active role in the greater community and make friends whilst maintaining their ethnic identity. The GHU has grown over the past thirty years and currently comprises over nine hundred families or over 4,000 members. Most of the youth members are second generation British. There is a desperate need for a community center where the members can socialize, receive help and support, worship and celebrate together the key events in the Hindu calendar. GHU has hitherto managed to organize functions by hiring local halls — even two rooms above a butchers shop, which was not entirely appropriate to the vegetarian aspects of Hinduism. Over the past five years members have became tired and frustrated by not having a permanent Hindu Cultural Centre. Thus the GHU has rigorously pursued the Appletree site for several years. Last June, Crawley Council granted planning permission for the project after an exhaustive seven-year campaign.

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