Thousands of people gathered on the banks of the River Thames in London on Sunday for the first-ever Ganga Aarti, a ceremony of light and thanksgiving organised by Chinmaya Mission UK in collaboration with the annual Totally Thames festival.
Held as part of global celebrations marking 75 years of the charity, the event recreated the ethos of the well-known aarti performed on the banks of the River Ganges in India. It was conceived as a symbol of the life-giving flow of nature, knowledge and consciousness, and was open to the British Hindu and South Asian community as well as people from all backgrounds.
Whether someone is from an Indian background or not, whether they’re from a Hindu background or not, the philosophy behind this is so universal,” said Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya, a Hindu monk based in the UK, as London hosted a historic first.
Thousands gathered along the banks of the Thames at the Old Royal Naval College for the largest ever Ganga Aarti held in the country. This centuries-old tradition is popular in India and is held twice a day on the banks of the River Ganga, with water its central theme. Rivers are seen in Hinduism as sacred and life-sustaining, and the aarti is performed as an act of respect and gratitude towards them.
The event was organised by @chinmaya_uk , a spiritual movement rooted in the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta, in partnership with Totally Thames. Leaders from more than eight other Hindu traditions – including BAPS Swaminarayan, ISKCON, Brahma Kumaris and Parmarth Niketan – also took part, lighting ceremonial lamps as dusk fell, watched by thousands in person and 1.2 million online.
Ceremonies like this exist to encourage people to remember that nature is not here for consumption, said Brahmacharini Shripriya: “We’re part of this world, and it’s our responsibility to take care of natural resources, so that future generations can too.” The ritual was performed entirely on land, with nothing placed in the river.
Watch this video to learn more about the meaning of the ceremony and what attenders said about the landmark event.
