UK home secretary Priti Patel on Sunday (7) joined thousands to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna Temple near Watford, England.
Highlights of the festival included colourful dances, plays from ancient Indian history, and devotional music. Thousands of free vegetarian meals were served to the guests throughout the day. Volunteers numbering around 1,500 help prepare for the festival for more than five days.
Ajay Kumar, one of the organisers of the event, said, “We have continued to follow government Covid Guidelines and made this a ticketed event, preventing overcrowding and making this a safe festival for all the family, young and old.”
Patel, who sported a pink Indian lehenga, was given a warm welcome at the venue. She was also taken for an extensive tour of the venue, which includes the George Harrison Garden and the main temple shrine where she was blessed by the temple’s head priest.
The home secretary, who after visiting the rooms of ISKCON founder Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was led to an exhibit representing the holy places of Vrindavan, India. She was also presented a book about numerous pilgrimage sites in and around Vrindavan.
Patel also went to the Manor’s New Gokula farm on site where she honoured the cows with a ceremony and then fed them carrots.
During her visit, Patel said, “It was an honour to be back at Bhaktivedanta Manor for Diwali blessings today. Thank you all for the wonderful welcome you gave me.”
“Diwali is a time for family and for prayers, sacrifice and charity,” said temple president Her Grace Visakha Dasi. “Millions of devotees around the world worship Lord Rama on this day by lighting lamps and sharing a sumptuous vegetarian feast with friends and neighbours,” she said.
Security personnel inspect the site in the aftermath of an attack as food stall chairs lie empty in Pahalgam, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Srinagar on April 23, 2025. Indian security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt on April 23, a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists killing 26 people in the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. Getty Images
Tourists visit Betaab Valley in Pahalgam, about 112 km south of Srinagar on June 26, 2025.Getty Images
Pilgrims gather at the Baltal Base Camp near Domel, en route to the sacred Amarnath cave in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on July 29, 2025. The annual Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, proceeds under heightened security following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local pony handler. Security forces have been deployed in large numbers across the pilgrimage route, with checkpoints, surveillance, and restrictions in place to safeguard the thousands of devotees undertaking the arduous journey. The Amarnath Yatra is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimages, drawing worshippers from across India to the high-altitude Himalayan shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Despite the threat of violence and challenging terrain, pilgrims continue their spiritual trek, determined to complete the sacred journey under the shadow of grief and resilience.Getty Images
