The commemoration of an international achievement

This story of this temple begins in 1984, when temples across the world raised funds to create a sacred space for Amsterdam’s Hindu community. By 1997, enough money had been collected, and the city of Amsterdam agreed to allocate 400 square meters of land for the temple’s construction. This plot had once served as a grazing field for cows, animals held sacred in Hinduism, making it a symbolically fitting site for the mandir.

The laying of the first stone was once commemorated by a blue stone that lay to the right of the stairs at the entrance. During a renovation in 2016, this stone mysteriously disappeared. Its vanishing felt poetically symbolic of the timeless, ever-evolving spirit of Hinduism. Fortunately, a commemorative plaque still stands beside the entrance, honoring the architect, the pandit (spiritual leader), and the temple’s most generous donors.

Today, many visit the mandir every Sunday to learn Hindi, share meals, and listen to the pandits who, with their storytelling talent, bring together current affairs and spirituality.

Gayatri's visit to the temple

Nervous and in awe, I took a seat in a quiet corner of the hall. A family entered, and I watched as a mother lifted her son to ring the high temple bell. In doing so, he partook in a centuries-old tradition of reverence. Today was a special day: for the first time in 500 years, a Hindu temple had been built in Ayodhya, India, dedicated to Ram, the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu. Ram came directly before Krishna, the eighth and final avatar, after whom the Amsterdam Mandir is named.

After an engaging sermon by the pandit, the gathering concluded with a grand communal feast: the Mahaprasad. I shared laughter and conversation with my new friends from the temple. That night, lying in bed with a full stomach and a full heart, I thought about the succes and the enduring strength of Amsterdam’s Hindu community.