Members of East Renfrewshire’s booming Hindu community are looking for a place to worship.

The number of people of that faith living in the area has more than trebled – from 400 to 1,500 – in the past decade.

Currently, members are meeting in each other’s homes to worship but are also looking to buy a property where they can all congregate at the same time.

They recently tried to purchase a disused church in Barrhead so they could convert the building into a temple but it was snapped up by another buyer.

There are between 70,000 and 80,000 practicing Hindus in Scotland, with temples already operating in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.

Now a charity named Mother Earth Hindu Temple has been established in order to raise funds that will help to ensure a place of worship can be opened in East Renfrewshire.

Barrhead News:

The new temple would also be used to help the local community celebrate religious festivals such as Diwali.

Dr Punit Bedi, one of the charity’s trustees, told the Barrhead News: “The Hindu community of East Renfrewshire is growing in numbers, particularly among young people.

“We have about 500 Hindus families at present. However, our community does not have even a single place of worship or congregation, which we are struggling to find.

“We were interested in buying a church in Barrhead when it was put up for sale in December 2021. However, we weren’t able to put in an offer before the closing date.”

Dr Bedi, 43, who lives in Newton Mearns, said many young Hindu families are being attracted to East Renfrewshire by its high-performing schools and quality of life.
He would like to hear from anyone in the local area who has a large property to sell which could then be adapted to suit the Hindu community’s needs.

Dr Bedi, who has a young family and  works as a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, in Paisley, and the Golden Jubilee Hospital, in Clydebank, added: “The location is not important, so long as it is in East Renfrewshire.”

Anyone who can help is asked to send an email to contact@motherearthtemple.org.uk or get in touch via the website at http://motherearthtemple.org.uk/contact.