TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 10: SHREE SHAKTI MANDIR

Stage ten of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Shakti Mandir, Canon Street.The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

I found Shree Shakti Mandir one of the most interesting stops on last year's Holi Yatra Walk. A single storey concrete building in a residential area, it would be easy to miss Shree Shakti Mandir or mistake it for something else - a scout hut, for instance. It's certainly one of the least ostentatious places of worship I've visited in Leicester. It reminds me of the Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm in the Orkney Islands, which I've visited twice (in 1984 and 2008). This building was previously used as a Roman Catholic church (Our Lady of Good Counsel). On the side of the building shown in these photos (on Moira Street), Christian symbols have deliberately been left visible, as a way of emphasising the harmony of past and present use.

Sadly, this time there's no one to let us in, so we have to content ourselves with seeing the outside only. The building has been enlivened with some vivid repainting of certain arts in red since last year's visit. This makes some elements stand out more than they did last time, such as the big red trident shown in the photo above, superimposed on a cross. There are another three tridents tucked into the niche on the gable, with the cross above them.

On the walk to our next destination, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, I discuss the significance of the trident with a couple of my fellow yatris. In Sanskrit and Pali, the trishula ("three spear") is the emblem of the god Shiva. The three prongs represent Shiva's three aspects:

• creator
• preserver
• destroyer

as well as the three shaktis ("powers" - which suits this mandir, of course):

• will
• action
• wisdom

The fearsome goddess Durga also brandishes a trishula in one of her seven hands.

I mention a few things about the trident and its use in classical mythology and art and in popular culture. Aquaman has one. So he should; after all, he's King of Atlantis!

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 9: SHREE SANATAN MANDIR

Stage nine of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Sanatan Mandir, Weymouth Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

Shree Sanatan Mandir is the HQ of the National Council of Hindu Temples (UK). We stop here for lunch, spending about an hour here.

On the way here from Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji, Uppingham Road, we pass the Ramgharia Centre on Ulverscroft Road. I don't know anything about this place or the community who use it. I must consult Guru Google (as I heard it described for the first time today).

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 8: MANDIR BABA BALAK NATH JI

Stage eight of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji, Uppingham Road. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

After an extended stay at our last port of call (Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre on St Barnabas Road) this is a quick stop. I'm at the back of the line and by the time I get inside and have the first shoe off, those who went in first are coming out and putting their shoes back on!

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 7: SHREE HINDU TEMPLE & COMMUNITY CENTRE

Stage seven of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre, St Barnabas Road. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

Rangoli patterns in coloured chalk at one of the entrances to Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre

In their own literature and website, Shree Hindu Temple is described as the first Hindu place of worship to be opened (in 1969), not only in Leicester, but in the United Kingdom. How does that square with the claims made for Radha Krishna Temple on Cromford Street (the previous stage on our yatra) I wonder? That's a conundrum I promised myself to solve when we were here last year on the Holi Yatra Walk. You might want to have a peek at Shree Hindu Temple's YouTube channel while you're at it.

Rangoli patterns in coloured chalk at one of the entrances to Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre

We have a bit of a sit down for half an hour or so here, enjoying cold drinks and nibbles in a marquee in the car park before setting off to our next destination, just a few minutes walk away: Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji, on Uppingham Road.

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 6: RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE SHYAMA ASHRAM

Stage six of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Radha Krishna Temple Shyama Ashram, Cromford Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

Radha Krishna Temple was the first Hindu place of worship in Leicester, having been established in 1968 and it has been in continuous use since then. 

Rangoli pattern in coloured chalk on doorstep of Radha Krishna Temple Shyama Ashram

At this point in the Holi Yatra Walk last year, I hung around so long getting photos at the end of the visit, and updating social media about this latest stage, that I didn't see which way the group set off and managed to become separated from them. I didn't catch up for about 90 minutes when they were starting lunch at Shree Hindu Mandir and Community Centre in St Barnabas Road. I wasn't going to let that happen again.

For some reason unknown to me, Twitter gave up at this point of the walk and I was unable to post any more tweets for the rest of the day.

TIRATH YATRA WALK, STAGE 5: SHREE GEETA BHAVAN TEMPLE & COMMUNITY CENTRE

Stage five of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Colton Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

Shree Geeta Bhavan is the home of the Hindu Religious and Cultural Society Leicester.

We top up with fizzy drinks and biscuits here, then head off to Highfields. On the way, we pass Network for Change, on the corner of London Road and Evington Road. This poster is in the window there.

TIRATH YATRA WALK, STAGE 4: SHRI SHIRDI SAI BABA TEMPLE

Stage four of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Colton Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

The temple was dedicated to public worship less than a month ago, an occasion which was covered in the Leicester Mercury.

The temple is in the former Guild of Disabled, which was opened in 2009. It is a Grade-II Listed Building in the heart of the St George Conservation Area (better known these days as the "Cultural Quarter"). No one in our group seems to know anything about the history of the building and our hosts don't say anything about it. I think that's sad, as the building has a fascinating background. So I'll put that right, here on the blog. Information about the history of the building, provided by Helena Edwards (a trustee of Mosaic) was published in the Leicester Mercury, 1 October 2009: 

Mosaic is the latest name of the organisation that built the Guildhall, the Cripples Guild (later Leicester Leicestershire and Rutland Guild of Disabled People) and it was our base until recently.

Unfortunately it was by then a listed building and protected from alterations, so we could not get permission from the city planners to make the adaptations necessary to satisfy the Disability Discrimination Act access levels.

It was sold, with much regret, in 2000 and the organisation moved into rented accommodation in 2002.

Sadly, the developers who bought the old building have apparently not done anything with it since. It is a great shame as it is not only architecturally but socially special, as possibly the first meeting place in the UK built with disability access in mind.

TIRATH YATRA WALK, STAGE 3: ISKCON CENTRE

Stage three of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: ISKCON Centre, Granby Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

The ISKCON Centre is housed in one of the most admired and respected building in the city centre, which was previously in use as an HSBC bank, then sat empty and unused for a few years. The local ISKCON community bought the building as a new home after its former temple was destroyed in a gas explosion (in which no one was hurt). There are ambitious plans for this place and when they are accomplished, it will be a marvellous place to see. It wasn't on the Holi Yatra Walk last year.

While the building is still undergoing renovation, and has not yet been fully kitted out as intended, it is in active use already for devotional purposes. I have only been inside the building once, during the Rathayatra festival last year. I don't get in today, as by the time I've snapped half a dozen photos from across the street, our group is on the move again! Next stop is another building with a distinguished past, dedicated to a new and unexpected use, which wasn't on the programme in 2012.

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 2: JAIN CENTRE

Stage two of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: The Jain Centre, Oxford Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day. 

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

If you're wondering what became of stage one (Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal, Narborough Road) which was the starting point of the walk, I was on my way there myself when I met the group coming the other way through Bede Park, heading for the Jain Centre.

Jainism is seen as a religion in its own right as far as membership of Leicester Council of Faiths (and, for that matter, of the Inter Faith Network of the UK) goes, but no one involved today seems to object to the Jain Centre being included in a walking pilgrimage round Hindu places of worship in the city.

One of the distinctive and laudable features of Leicester's Jain Centre is that it offers a home for several sects of Jainism under one roof, giving each one its own worship space, while practitioners of the different denominations mingle socially.

Last year, on the Holi Yatra Walk, we spent quite a while in each place of worship, joining in devotions, receiving a talk or guided tour, enjoying refreshments. Consequently, we fell far behind schedule and overran by a few hours. I stay in the vestibule to update social media (Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook) about the walk while my fellow yatris head upstairs to the worship hall. I haven't even finished doing that before they come back down the stairs, start getting their shoes on and head out the door towards our next stage. I wonder if we're going to try and keep up this pace all day!

TIRATH YATRA WALK POSTPONED

The Tirath Yatra sponsored walk scheduled for today, organised by Leicester Friends of The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, has been postponed due to inclement weather.

More than 60 people had signed up for this pilgrimage round Leicester's 15 mandirs. I was looking forward to the occasion. I bought a new pair of urban walking trainers and have been doing appropriate exercises so that I could make a better job of it than I did last year. I walked for nine hours that day, but gave up with five mandirs still to go. My legs were like jelly for days after. Last year, the Holi Yatra Walk nearly killed me. I've been telling folk that I'm determined to come back this time and finish the job. In total, the walk covers some 13 miles.

I've struggled to come up with a definition of "Tirath". The best I could find is on Urban Dictionary. Not the most graceful English, I'm sure you'll agree faithful reader, but the meaning is clear enough. "Tirath: pilgrimage and sacred, full of holiness and divine power".

Here's the definition of "Yatra" from Wikipedia that I used when I blogged about the sponsored walk last year. Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine.

I've listed below the names and addresses of the different stages on the sponsored walk, as well as links to their websites (for those which have one):

1. Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal, 85 Narborough Rd, LE3 0LF 
2. Jain Centre, 32 Oxford St, LE1 5XU
3. Geeta Bhavan, 70 Clarendon Park Rd, LE2 3AD
4. Radha Krishna Mandir, 47 Cromford St, LE2 0FW
5. Shree Hindu Mandir, 34 St Barnabas Rd, LE5 4BD
6. Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji, 1 Uppingham Rd, LE5 3TA
7. Shree Sanatan Mandir, 84 Weymouth St, LE4 6FQ
8. Shree Shakti Mandir,  73 Cannon Stt, LE4 6NH
9. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, 135 Gipsy Ln, LE4 6RH
10. Swaminarayan Mandir (ISSO), 139-141 Loughborough Rd, LE4 5LQ
11. Shreeji Haveli, 504 Melton Rd, LE4 7SP
12. Ram Mandir, Hildyard Rd, LE4 5GG
13. Shri Siva Murugan Temple, Unit 3b Abbey Mill, Ross Walk, LE4 5HH
14. Sri Vedmata Gayatri Parivar, 16 Rendell Rd, LE4 6LE

There's one other stop on the route, the address of which I don't list as it's untended most of the time.

To the untrained eye this may looks like a pretty exhaustive list of Hindu sites in Leicester, but I know of a further half dozen or more places of worship and/or faith-based community centres that are not visited on the walk. There's a new Shri Shirdi Baba Temple Association mandir on Colton Street opening at the end of this month, so hopefully that one can be slotted in too.

HOLI YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 9: SHREE SHAKTI MANDIR

Ninth stage on the Holi Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Shakti Mandir, Canon Street. The goal is to visit 15 Hindu places of worship in Leicester on foot today. Nine down ...

Holi (Hindi: होली) is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus, also known as the Festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistand and Nepal and in countries with large populations from India or of Indian descent who follow Hinduism.

Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. (Thanks to Wikipedia for these definitions.)

Shree Shakti Mandir is one of the least ostentatious places of worship I've had the pleasure of visiting in the city. It's a single storey concrete building in a residential area and would be easy to miss or mistake for something else. First sight of the premises reminds me of a scout hall or something similar. It also brings to mind the Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm in the Orkney Islands, which I've visited twice (in 1984 and 2008). This building was previously used as a Roman Catholic church (Our Lady of Good Counsel). On the other side of the building from where we enter (on Moira Street), Christian symbols have been left visible, quite deliberately as a way of emphasising the religious harmony of previous and present use.

I leave some fliers and A4 posters for the upcoming REDP event Choice Unlimited (after asking permission, of course). I also leave information about the Council of Faiths next open meeting, a panel presentation entitled "God in my faith" coming up during the week.

HOLI YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 8: SHREE SANATAN MANDIR

Eighth stage on the Holi Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Sanatan Mandir, Weymouth Street. The goal is to visit 15 Hindu places of worship in Leicester on foot today. Eight down ...

Holi (Hindi: होली) is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus, also known as the Festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal and in countries with large populations from India or of Indian descent who follow Hinduism.

Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. (Thanks to Wikipedia for these definitions.)

Almost exactly a year ago, Shree Sanatan Mandir celebrated its 40^th anniversary, when it received a visit from Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (see blog, Tuesday 29 March 2011).

We’re slightly ahead of schedule by this point and rather than arrive early at our next destination, the group spends more time in the worship hall, chanting and singing devotional melodies. I sit outside in the lobby, where I have an interesting chat with an elderly fellow who introduces himself to me as Hari. He comers from Delhi and is on his first visit to this country. He tells me that since he was a small boy, all he’s heard is “England this and England that” so he decided it was time for him to come and see it for himself. To say he’s not impressed (especially "area-wise") would be putting it mildly!

I leave some flyers and A4 posters for the upcoming REDP event Choice Unlimited (after asking permission, of course). I also leave information about the Council of Faiths next open meeting, a panel presentation entitled "God in my faith" coming up during the week.

HOLI YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 7: MANDIR BABA BALAK NATH JI

Seventh stage on the Holi Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies:  Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji on Uppingham Road. The goal is to visit 15 Hindu places of worship in Leicester on foot today. Seven down ...

Holi (Hindi: होली), is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus, also known as the Festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal and in countries with large populations from India or of Indian descent who follow Hinduism.

Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. (Thanks to Wikipedia for these definitions.)

When we arrive, the mandir is closed and there appears to be no one to let us in. While we're waiting, I have an interesting chat with Kash Bhayani, who takes part in cultural competence training activities for Leicestershire Police. Over the next few minutes, we take some group photos outside the mandir, just to prove that we were there, then move on.

We've walked barely 50 yards up and across Uppingham Road when we're called back. Our host has opened the door and we can get in after all. This is another of the more modest temples, although like all mandirs I've seen, it's bright, colourful with plenty to see and ask about inside. If you're interested in finding out more about the distinctive beliefs of those who worship here, visit the Baba Balak Nath page on Wikipedia.

HOLI YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 6: SHREE HINDU TEMPLE & COMMUNITY CENTRE

Sixth stage on the Holi Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Hindu Temple & CommunityCentre, St Barnabas Road. The goal is to visit 15 Hindu places of worship in Leicester on foot today. Six down ...

Holi (Hindi: होली) is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus, also known as the Festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal and in countries with large populations from India or of Indian descent who follow Hinduism.

Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. (Thanks to Wikipedia for these definitions.)

After leaving Radha Krishna Temple in Cromford Street (stage five) and becoming separated from the rest of the party due to over-zealous tweeting, I take a number of wrong turnings before realising exactly where I should be heading. I think the group has already become used to me being at the back – but not this far back! Or maybe they thought I’d had enough and given up and gone home – not yet though! I’m determined to stay the course; well, more of the course than I’ve stayed so far.

On this solo part of the Yatra (does that increase its merit for me? or does losing touch with the group decrease it?) I take comfort in the virtual company of my frequent and reliable companions Fraser Cain (publisher of Universe Today) and Dr Pamela Gay (a professor at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville). I'm working my way through the back catalogue of Astronomy Cast, a podcast which describes itself as a "weekly facts-based journey through the cosmos, where we help you understand not only what we know, but how we know what we know." I downloaded these en masse a while back and have been mainlining them, sometimes three or more per day for ages now. The first podcast dates from 10 September 2006 and I make a point of listening to every single one, all the way through - even if it goes way over my head (and it often does, believe me).

Each specifically themed podcast alternates with one addressing questions sent in by listeners, so there are a lot of podcasts to get through. While en route to Shree Hindu Temple, I listen to episode 140 (1 June 2009) on the subject of quantum entanglement. This is precisely the sort of occasion Astronomy Cast was meant for.

I think I'll reach the next stage only to see the little yellow rucksacks disappearing into the distance - if I'm lucky. More likely, I'll reach it after they've left and will be struggling to get a steer on their next destination. But my luck is in: I arrive at Shree Hindu Temple not only to find that the group has spent all the time so far in the worship hall, but also that I've arrived just in time for lunch! And just before eating, I get the call I've been waiting for from Suleman Nagdi at the Federation of Muslim Organisations, in case there's been any misunderstanding about our group walking through Highfields with placards held high. He says he hasn't heard anything in the hour or so since I left my message, but he'll keep his ear to the ground and take care of any rumours that he might hear.

Our hosts serve us a very welcome vegetarian meal, give us a lovely glossy colour booklet about the temple and the various celebrations that take place there. Shree Hindu Temple describes itself as the first Hindu place of worship to be opened (in 1969), not only in Leicester, but in the United Kingdom. I wonder how that squares with the claims made for Radha Krishna Temple on Cromford Street, the previous stage on our yatra. Certainly, they're very different buildings. Another mystery I'd like to resolve sometime. Oh, and have a look at Shree Hindu Temple's YouTube channel.

I leave some fliers and A4 posters for the upcoming REDP event Choice Unlimited (after asking permission, of course). I also leave information about the Council of Faiths next open meeting, a panel presentation entitled "God in my faith" coming up during the week.

Then we set off for our next port of call: Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji on Uppingham Road. I fall in at the back of the group again. This isn't some false display of humility on my part; I really am this slow, compared to the rest of them. Thankfully, there's always someone who hangs back to chat.

HOLI YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 5: RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE SHYAMA ASHRAM

Fifth stage on the Holi Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Radha Krishna Temple Shyama Ashram, Cromford Street. The goal is to visit 15 Hindu places of worship in Leicester on foot today. Five down ...

Holi (Hindi: होली) is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus, also known as the Festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal and in countries with large populations from India or of Indian descent who follow Hinduism.

Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. (Thanks to Wikipedia for these definitions.)

Halfway down Melbourne Road, Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, and I are chatting together when he asks me if Highfields is mostly a Muslim area. When I reply that it is, he wonders aloud about the wisdom of a group of 50 or so Hindus striding along carrying aloft placards. All of a sudden, we look like a demo. What with the recent visit of the English Defence League and the fact that there's been a widely reported arson attack on a mosque just last week by an Asian man, we decide that it would be wise to move along the group, asking those holding placards to put them down for the moment. Most comply, but not all. There are some anxious and concerned faces on local people in shop doorways, in cars - people stop in twos and threes on the other side of the road and stare at us. Being at the back of the group as we turn into Cromford Street and walk uphill, I see people come out of their doors as we pass their houses, making calls, photographing us on their mobiles. Those walking ahead of me are oblivious to this. I decide to put in a call to my friend and colleague, Suleman Nagdi, Spokesman for the Federation of Muslim Organisations, just in case word gets around that there's some sort of Hindu-led protest march through Highfields this afternoon. He's not available right now, so I leave a message for him to call me as soon as he can. There's no sense of being threatened here - indeed, most of my fellow walkers proceed blithely on - I should make that clear. Better to be safe than sorry, though.

Radha Krishna Temple was the first Hindu place of worship in Leicester, having been established in 1968 and it has been in continuous use since then. To call it unpretentious would be an understatement. It's clearly held in great esteem by the worshippers here today - as is the elderly lady who is the temple's custodian. I must find out more about this place and its history.

When we leave the temple, I'm so intent on getting a decent photo and spelling the name right on my tweets that I let the others move off without me (again). But this time I lose sight of them and can't pick up their trail. This part of Highfields is a bit of a warren and there are no clues as to which way they've gone. I look up on my iPhone the list of temples on the walk today. There's no schedule as such, but there is a list - and next on the list is Shree Hindu Temple in St Barnabas Road. Even knowing that, I manage to take a wrong turn, down through Spinney Hill Park, on to East Park Road toward Evington Road: precisely the opposite direction from the next stage on the walk. Now read on ...