More than 1,000 Hindu devotees gathered in Gulu for the reconsecration of a temple built in 1965, as former residents returned and about 40 Acholi converts were remembered.
When Kanesh Patel was born in Gulu in 1953, his childhood was shaped by the town’s close-knit Asian community and prayers at a small Hindu temple in Green Valley.
He attended Gulu Public School and remembers holding his father’s hand as they went to worship.
But in 1972, Idi Amin’s expulsion of Asians from Uganda forced Patel and many other families to leave the country, severing their ties with homes, businesses and places of worship they had known for years.
More than five decades later, Patel returned to the temple where his father had prayed, joining more than 1,000 Hindu devotees who travelled to Gulu from countries including India, the United Kingdom, Canada and Kenya for its reconsecration.
The ceremony marked the revival of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, built in 1965 and blessed in 1970 by His Holiness Brahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj. The temple’s reopening restores a place of worship that had remained largely inactive following the expulsion.
For Patel, the occasion was a deeply personal homecoming, reconnecting him with the town where he spent his childhood and the religious heritage of his family.
The celebrations brought together Hindu religious traditions and Acholi cultural performances, reflecting the temple’s place in Gulu’s diverse history.
A Nagar Yatra, a religious procession involving a decorated cart, moved through the streets accompanied by a brass band and Acholi Bwola royal dancers. The dancers performed as devotees chanted prayers, with rain falling throughout the procession.
The celebrations culminated in Aarti, a Hindu ritual involving the offering of light, at about 5pm.
Former Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo Chigamoi attended the gathering, which drew members of the Hindu community, local residents and visitors from abroad.
The combination of Hindu chants and Acholi drums offered a public expression of the cultural links that existed between the communities before the expulsion and the conflicts that later affected northern Uganda.
Remembering 40 Acholi Hindus
Another significant moment came during a gathering at the temple on Friday night, October 9, when about 40 Acholi people who had embraced Hinduism in the 1960s were remembered.
The group had worshipped alongside members of Gulu’s Asian community, according to organisers. Their recognition brought attention to a chapter of local religious history that has received limited public attention.
Their story also challenges the perception that Hindu worship in Gulu was exclusively associated with the town’s Asian population.
“My photos of Gulu streets are now making Asians in London want to return,” Patel said, reflecting on the connections between memories of the town and the possibility of renewed visits.
Ajay Kailash Singh, the restoration coordinator, said the temple had been rebuilt from 2023 with contributions from supporters around the world. It can now accommodate about 300 people.
Pranshv Patel of Aga Khan University said the temple was intended to serve people regardless of their background.
“This temple is for everyone — whatever tribe, whatever status,” he said.
Manoj Patel, who travelled from Nairobi, said the experience would remain with him for years.
“I will remember this for the rest of my life,” he said.
The temple stands among churches and a mosque, reflecting the presence of different faith communities in Gulu. It is expected to hold daily prayers from Monday to Friday.
For former residents such as Kanesh Patel, the reopening represents more than the restoration of a building. It offers an opportunity to reconnect with a community disrupted by forced displacement and to preserve memories of a period when Asian and Acholi residents shared parts of Gulu’s social and religious life.
After decades of silence, the temple is once again a place of worship — and a reminder of the people and histories that remain part of Gulu.