Service to Hinduism
As the Hindu population began to grow in the UK in the early 1970s, Pujya Rambapa recognized the importance of establishing Hindu temples to serve as long standing institutions of worship for future generations and to provide much needed community and cultural services.
Acquiring property was not out of the reach of many community groups but the knowledge of where and how to safely import the treasured set of deities that would be the focal point of these temples, together with funding their significant cost was much more of a challenge.
Herein Pujya Rambapa saw his opportunity to serve. He personally went to Jaipur on multiple occasions and searched for sculptors that could fashion a true likeness of the Lord in high quality marble. Once he had established his supply base Pujya Rambapa began the mammoth task of commissioning, importing and installing thousands of these deities of the entire Hindu pantheon and donating them to temples, community centres and households in the UK and abroad.
Pujya Bapa accompanies a procession of murtis at the inauguration of Woolwich mandir, 1987
To date over forty-five temples have received beautiful life size deities from Pujya Rambapa’s trust, among them the Hare Krishna Mandir (Watford) The Sindhi Community Centre (Cricklewood), Sri Ram Mandir (Southhall), Krishna Mandir (Leamington Spa), Shree Sanatan Mandir(Preston), Bristol Hindu Mandir and Krishna Mandir (Cheltenham). Internationally deities have been donated to establish temples in Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, North America, Guyana, Kenya, Barbados and Ghana.
Deities of Shree Sita, Ram, Lakshman and Hanuman donated by Pujya Rambapa to the Hare Krishna Temple in Watford
A devotee at the Afghan Hindu temple in Cologne, Germany where Pujya Bapa installed murtis in 2005 writes:
“His presence…was just like the sun spreading love, light and energy without any discrimination which made people develop love, affection and belief in Pujya Rambapa. The footsteps of Pujya Bapa filled the hearts of people with happiness and thrill in the temple who had waited for so long to get a glimpse of the highly divine, spiritual, kind personality, a True man of God”.
Pujya Bapa chants the Hanuman Chalisa ecstatically in the Cologne mandir
In 2007 Pujya Bapa also started to work with HM Prisons Service, committing to establish Hindu mandirs in twenty four prisons around the UK so that Hindu inmates can have a dedicated area to reflect and pray. The first of these was established in 2007 at Wormwood Scrubs prison where the Hindu inmates also received the Hanuman Chalisa and Bhagvat Geeta in English from Pujya Bapa's hands. Pujya Bapa’s contribution to the Hindu Community doesn’t end there. In the early 1980’s in tandem with weekly recitals of the Ramayan and Hanuman Chalisa, Pujya Bapa began inviting highly acclaimed “kathakars” (spiritual orators) from India, such as Pujya Moraribapu, Uma Bhartiji and Indu Bhusanji to share their knowledge with the UK Hindu community. He opened up the doors of his humble home to these visiting saints and sages and organized their programmes at no cost for the public’s benefit. In this manner his trust has hosted public programmes for a large number of visiting Hindu saints and orators, including Pujya Chandra Swami Udasin, Mathuradas Bapu, Shama Mataji, Swami Satyamitynand Giriji and most recently Swami Ramdevji Maharaj.
