The Shree Geeta Bhawan

Mandir A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

() is the first Hindu temple in the

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

of England, opened in a former church in 1969. It is situated at 107-117 Heathfield Road, on the corner of Brecon Road, on the border of the Handsworth and

Lozells Lozells is a loosely defined inner-city area in West Birmingham, England. It is centred on Lozells Road, and is known for its multi-racial population. It is part of the ward of Lozells and East Handsworth and lies between the districts of Handsw ...

districts of Birmingham. Originally, services were held at 32 Hall Road, Birmingham B20 2BQ. The Mandir has a daily

Aarti ''Arti'' (Sanskrit: Ārātrika, Hindi: Ārtī) is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, often part of '' puja'', in which light (usually from a flame) is offered to one or more deities. ''Arti(s)'' also refers to the songs sung in praise of the d ...

at 11 am and 7 pm and has weekly Poojas for Balaji on Sunday mornings, and Durga Maa on Tuesday evenings.

Architecture

The building was the former St George's

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

and was originally designed by J.P.Osborne in a cruciform shape in 1896. Pevsner and Wedgwood (1966) said it was "...in a style variously described as 'modern Gothic' and a 'modification of Renaissance'. In fact an ungainly mixture of styles and an odd plan.".

References

External links

* {{Birmingham buildings Hindu temples in England Religious buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands