Ganga Aarti ceremony held on London’s Thames river
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Thousands of people gathered along the banks of the River Thames in London on Sunday for the first Ganga Aarti, a traditional Hindu ceremony expressing gratitude for nature.
Chinmaya Mission UK organised the event in collaboration with the ‘Totally Thames’ festival to mark the charity’s 75th anniversary. Organisers recreated the ceremony typically held on the Ganges River in India as a symbol of life, knowledge, and consciousness.
Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya of Chinmaya Mission UK explained the aarti represents communities coming together to express thankfulness for the river, nature, and everything that sustains life. The Mission also views the Ganges as a symbol of knowledge, connecting the event to their founder’s work bringing Hindu philosophical traditions to people’s lives. The ceremony involved oil lamps, prayer, music, and chanting, all performed on land to protect the River Thames.
Chinmaya Mission UK ensured the event minimised waste and respected the environment. Representatives from Hindu organisations and communities across the UK attended, with the event intended to be a celebration for the British Hindu and South Asian communities, and an invitation for people of all backgrounds to appreciate nature.
