GO MAN, GO!

#failstival

It's a lovely sunny Bank Holiday Monday - if that's not a contradiction in terms. I give the kids a choice: stay indoors and watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on Film4 or head across town to Cossington Park Recreation Ground, to enjoy Leicester's first Mango Festival. Gracie votes with her feet, Harry is his usual biddable self.

I think we might have misjudged the start time of the Mango Festival. We hang around the park for longer than feels comfortable, but it doesn't get any more exciting than the scene you see in the photo above. There's an ice cream van on this far side of the park, but even as we're walking toward it, it drives off. That's how quiet and slow things are.

Rather than rely on being served our entertainment on a plate, we make our own fun - just like in the olden days (as Gracie would say). We go for mega chip butties from a local eatery on Melton Road and bring them back to the park. Nothing's changed though (note to self: if ever I get another one of these mega chip butties, make it a small one - if that's not another contradiction in terms). As we sit and eat as much of these as we're able, we count the number of times a mother and son walk around the park in their casual but committed exercise routine. We see them do six circuits before they call it a day. We were thinking of getting up and joining them next time they came past us.

With memories fresh from the Tirath Yatra Walk I took part in round here hardly a fortnight ago, I take the kids off to have a look at the Shri Ram Mandir on Hildyard Road and the Shri Siva Murugan Temple on Ross Walk (photo below). We just look at the outsides, since Gracie's not really dressed for going in. She's 11 and she came out dressed for a fun day in the park. After that diversion, we return to the park to join in the festivities, which we hope will be in full swing by now. But very little, if anything, has changed. Harry points out a dad and a little kid, leaning over a partially erected crash barrier, looking at nothing in particular. The elephants remain covered and there's not the slightest hint of mango anywhere.

Having hung around till we can't hang around no more, we call it quits and leave. The kids are bored now and want to go home. I'd rather hang on a bit longer as I'm sure things will pick up (surely they have to pick up). But, as you'll surely know faithful reader, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few - or the one."

We head back to town shortly after 1300 and thence to Wigston Magna, where I'm back on the couch in time to see most of the movie, courtesy of Film4+1. Now that's my idea of how to spend a Bank Holiday Monday.

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.