National Council of Hindu Temples

The National Council of Hindu Temples (NCHTUK) is an umbrella body of Hindu temples (mandirs) in the United Kingdom.[1] It connects a network of over 200 temples in the country. It supports the temples, their management, employees and operations in order to enable public access to some of the oldest heritage sites of Hinduism.[2] NCHTUK is also involved in areas of interfaith dialogue at forums like The Interfaith Network UK.[3][4]

History

It was established in July 1978,[5]

In 2013, NCHTUK announced the formation of the British Board of Hindu Scholars in order to provide an alternative, authoritative, scholarly source for Indology studies.[6] In December, Sharma represented the council during the Ambassadors reception where he presented Prince William a copy of the ancient Indian epic of Valmiki Ramayana on behalf of the council.[7]

In May 2016, NCHTUK and HFB were requested by DCLG for improving the crematorium provisions in line with the Hindu traditions for cremating the dead.[8] Later in December, the council protested the issue of £5 notes by Bank of England that contained tallow (a form of animal fat). Several temples across UK refused to accept the £5 currency as donations. NHCHT secretary Pt. Satish Sharma explained this was against the ethos of Hindu dharmic perspective and that printing currency and using substances derived from acts of violence upon vulnerable, non-aggressive creatures was not the behaviour of civilised beings.[9] The organization was at the forefront of opposing an overreaching legislation by the UK parliament on caste discrimination in 2018.[10]

Celebrations

In August 2021, there were simultaneous prayers held across 150 temples as NCHTUK marked the laying of the foundation stone of the Ram mandir at Ayodhya.[11]

References
  1. Zavos, John (2012). "Chapter 6. Hindu Organisation and the Negotiation of Public Space in Contemporary Britain". In John Zavos; et al. (eds.). Public Hinduisms. New Delhi: SAGE Publ. India. ISBN 978-81-321-1696-7.
  2. Vertovec, Steven (2013). The Hindu Diaspora: Comparative Patterns. Routledge. pp. 98–101. ISBN 9781136367052.
  3. "IFN member list - The Inter Faith Network (IFN)". www.interfaith.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  4. "Home". NCHTUK. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  5. Altglas, Véronique (2014). From Yoga to Kabbalah: Religious Exoticism and the Logics of Bricolage. Oxford University Press. pp. 167–168. ISBN 9780199997633.
  6. "NCHT UK Announces Formation of the British Board of Hindu Scholars | Spiritual Bangalore". Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  7. "Prince William to Read the Ramayana to Baby George". ISKCON News. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  8. ABPL. "Review of crematoria provisions and facilities..." www.asian-voice.com. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  9. "Dolls representing human beings; toys representing animals or non-human creatures". 2018-07-31. doi:10.18356/113e6381-en. S2CID 240387944. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "Caving to Pressure from Hindu Groups, UK Backs Down on Law Against Caste Discrimination". The Wire. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  11. "Prayers mark Ayodhya Bhoomi Pujan in UK - Times of India". The Times of India. PTI. Aug 5, 2020. Retrieved 2022-03-07.

Further reading
  • Hatcher, Brian A (2015-10-05). Hinduism in the modern world. New York. ISBN 9781135046316. OCLC 922966023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)


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