Hindu council of Wales is an organisation which represents a united voice for Hindus in Wales

About Us

The need to have an organisation which represented a united voice for all the Hindus living in Wales had been in the minds of many members of the community for a number of years, but we began to put our thoughts and ideas into action in September 2011. For the first time, the members of the several Hindu temples, Community groups and Charity Organisations came together to discuss the formation of the Hindu Council of Wales. After a series of meetings and deliberation about the Aims and Objectives of the organisation, we drafted a constitution which would uphold our objectives and at the same time be part of the Welsh culture and people.

Hindu Council of Wales was born in November 2012 with six major Hindu faith-based groups which constitute majority of Hindus living in Wales. HCW would provide one voice that can bring about positive changes to the community in particular and Wales as a whole.

HCW was launched officially on the 15th of April 2013 at the Senedd. It was inaugurated by Mr. Huw Lewis, Minister of Education and Skills. The event was attended by many representatives from interfaith organisations, officials from the Government and members of public.

The member organisations are well established and cater for many hundreds of individuals. These cover the entire socio-economic spectrum which includes Health care professions, Academics, Accountants, Lawyers, Students (foreign and local) and Businessmen.

HCW arranges talks, seminars and workshops on various topics to create awareness and education to the young and old alike. Some of these have been on Stroke awareness, Protecting our children, Gay marriages and Organ donation. We have been working with the local police department on various issues like Asian Burglaries and safeguarding one’s personal property and the job opportunities within the Police and Armed Forces which at the moment are underrepresented. We recently signed a covenant with the Armed Forces to support and establish a connection with them.

Hinduism is a way of life which nurtures tolerance, respect, peace and love. This is spread through our programmes, events and projects. The spiritualism welcomes respects and embraces every individual as they are and guides to the betterment of society. We are also part of the Interfaith where we work with other faith groups to bring about changes to our day-to-day lifestyle.
We continue with our various activities and most importantly, as Hindus, are making our presence felt within the wider community and the Government here in Wales.

The first event, HCW conducted on the 12th of January 2013, was the celebration of the 150th Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda in partnership with Sangh Parivar, UK. We had Mr. C R Kulkarni, a Swayam sevak address the gathering. We also had young speakers highlighting the life of the Swamy who inspired the young and upheld the doctrines of Sanatana Dharma.

One of our landmark projects was the installation of Mahatma Gandhi Statue, to promote peace, love and harmony. According to the General Assembly resolution of United Nations, the 2nd October is commemorated as the “International Day of Non Violence”. Mahatma Gandhi practiced the “mantra” of nonviolence. We are living in a world where conflict, war and discord are witnessed everywhere, and we believe the statue of Gandhi will advocate his message. This will not only promote education to our younger generation but also a focal point for Welsh Tourism. This will definitely bring numerous visitors and revenue to the local economy which in turn will put Wales on a Global map.Bhoomi Puja was conducted on the 16 th August 2017 to start the Plinth at the site. The statue was unveiled on the 2 nd October 2017 by our First Minister Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones, Mr. Satish Dhupelia, great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Indian High Commissioner, Mr. Y K Sinha. This project was supported by our Patrons, Mr. Vaughn Gething-AM, Mrs. Julie Morgan and Mr. Raj Aggarwal, honorary consul for India in Wales. We released a souvenir booklet on the occasion with the names of donors and goodwill messages.

Many dignitaries, AMs, PMs and Councillors attended. The event was broadcasted on the local television and HCW is proud to say that Cardiff attracted over 600 people that day!
The Hindu and Sikh communities in Wales have been concerned with the lack of facilities for performing the last rites (Antima Samskara) of scattering of funeral ashes after the cremation of our loved ones in Wales. The first-generation immigrants tended to take the ashes back to their motherland. However, with later generations either born or having lived most of their life in Wales, would want the ashes scattered here. In view of this, the group negotiated with the Cardiff City Council to find a suitable place. We were delighted to inaugurate the place on river Taf on the banks of The Llandaff Rowing Club on the 31 st of July 2021. We are ever so grateful to the then Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr. Rod McKerlich, The First Minister of Wales, Mr. Mark Drakeford, Head of Cardiff Council, Cllr. Huw Thomas and Cabinet Minister, Cllr. Michael Michael to be part of the historic event.

On the 11 th of August 2016, HCW celebrated “Raksha Bandhan” in association with the Armed Forces, UK. This has been the first ever event of the kind conducted in Wales. Many young girls and boys from our community took part enthusiastically and the guests really enjoyed the hospitality hosted by HCW.
With the help of the Local Council, we want to spread warmth and friendship among Welsh people and create an inclusive society for the generations to come. We continue to celebrate the Raksha Bandhan and International Day of Non- violence every year to preserve our traditions, culture and spirituality.
Hindu Council of Wales is an ideal platform through which all the Hindus and Organisations in Wales can come together, work in harmony and leave a legacy of our rich culture to the coming generations.