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| Abbreviation | HU |
|---|---|
| Established | 1899 |
| Founder | Hindu Communities |
| Type | Religious Organisation |
| Headquarters | Shiva Temple, Makadara, Mombasa, Kenya |
Region served | Kenya |
Key people | Ratilal Shah Madhu Patel Kamal Anantroy Bhatt Madhu Ruparelia Dinesh Parmar |
The Hindu Union of Mombasa is one of Kenya's oldest Hindu organisation, which is based out of the port city of Mombasa.
The Hindu Union was formed in 1899 after a group of emigrated Gujarati Indians decided to walk village-to-village trying to gather funds to build a grand temple. Eventually after enough funds were gathered, a temple in Central Mombasa was built and a Lingam was constructed. Funds for the Makadara temple were additionally raised from all regional samajas within Mombasa. [1]
In 1928, the Union adapted a constitution and a democratic system of governance was implemented. Manilal Govindji Shah, and with philanthropist Kanubhai Babla, being immediate past Trustee, a position they held till their death. [2] Suryakant B. Gor became the Chairman and remained at this position for over 40 years, during his tenure he was instrumental in the development of the temple and acquisition of various properties held by the Hindu Union of Mombasa.[ citation needed ]
Major renovations were also carried out in 2018 by Hasmukhbhai Patel of Mombasa Cement Ltd (MCL), free of cost to the temple.[ citation needed ]
According to local historians, there is a cave formation in the north of the current temple where it contains natural lingam (in the form of stalagmite) and the natural rock formation resembling Ganesha, the Shiva's son. It was discovered by a local Indian doctor in the late 19th century while treating a local herdman from a bee attack. [3]
Mombasa is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is known as "the white and blue city" in Kenya. It is the country's oldest and second-largest city after Nairobi, with a population of about 1,208,333 people according to the 2019 census. Its metropolitan region is the second-largest in the country, and has a population of 3,528,940 people.
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The Baidyanath Temple, also called Baba Baidyanath Dham is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is located in Deoghar, in the Santhal Parganas division of the Indian state of Jharkhand.
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Bettadapura is a village located in Mysore district, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The name is derived from two Kannada words, "Betta" and "pura". Betta means "hill" and pura means "town". As per census survey of India 2011, the location code number assigned to Bettadapura is 618171.
Nageshwara Jyotirlinga is one of the twelve Jyotirlings, which are temples devoted to Shiva, located in Aundha Nagnath, Hingoli, Maharshtra. Some individuals believe that the Dwarka Shivalinga in gujrat represents the Nageshwara Jyotirlinga.
Sri Sivan Temple is a Hindu temple in Singapore for the god Shiva. The temple was originally located in Potong Pasir from where it was moved three more times before finally coming to the present location, adjacent to Foo Hai Ch'an Buddhist Monastery, in front of Paya Lebar MRT station exit C at Geylang East Avenue 2.
Uthirakosamangai, also known as Mangalanatha Swamy temple, is a Shiva temple situated near Ramanathapuram in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. The temple has been in bloom for 3000 years ago. Uthirakosamangai temple is located on an area of about 20 acres.
The Karaneeswarar Temple is a 12th-century Hindu temple in the neighbourhood of Mylapore in Chennai, India. The temple is dedicate to Shiva as Karaneeswarar. There are also shrines to Sarvamangala Vinayaka (Ganesha), Dandapani (Kartikeya), Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
Spatika Lingam or Crystal Lingamor Crystal Shivling is a type of Lingam made from quartz. Spatika Lingam is called sphatika Sivalingam, ,(Kannada -ಸ್ಪಟಿಕ ಲಿಂಗ),. Sphatikam in Sanskrit means "made of crystal, crystalline", referring to quartz and alum.
Lakhamandal is an ancient Hindu temple complex, situated in the Jaunsar-Bawar region of Dehradun district in the state of Uttarakhand. The temple is dedicated to lord Shiva. This temple is popular among the Shaivites, who believe that a visit to this temple shrine will end their misfortunes.
A lingam, sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary murti or devotional image in Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva, also found in smaller shrines, or as self-manifested natural objects. It is often represented within a disc-shaped platform, the yoni – its feminine counterpart, consisting of a flat element, horizontal compared to the vertical lingam, and designed to allow liquid offerings to drain away for collection. Together, they symbolize the merging of microcosmos and macrocosmos, the divine eternal process of creation and regeneration, and the union of the feminine and the masculine that recreates all of existence.
Dhenupureeswarar Temple, is located in Madambakkam near Tambaram, Chennai. Dhenupureeswarar is the local name for the Hindu deity Shiva.
