Shree Geeta Bhawan

Shree Geeta Bhawan is a Hindu temple in Birmingham, standing at 107-117 Heathfield Road on the corner of Brecon Road. It sits on the border of the Handsworth and Lozells districts and is recognised as the first Hindu temple in the West Midlands of England. It opened in 1969, inside a building that had been built as a church.

What is Shree Geeta Bhawan?

The temple is a place of worship for the local Hindu community, run by the community itself. Its name honours the Bhagavad Gita, one of the sacred texts of Hinduism. "Shree" means holy and "Bhawan" means temple, so the name can be read as "holy house of the Gita". The Birmingham Images archive records the building as re-opened as a Hindu temple and renamed Shri Geeta Bhawan Mandir.

Why is the building unusual?

Before it became a temple, the site was St George's Presbyterian Church. The church was designed by the architect J. P. Osborne in 1896 and cost about £5,000, including the price of the land. When the Hindu community took over the building in 1969, it kept the Victorian church structure and gave it a new purpose. Visitors who walk along Heathfield Road will notice a building that looks quite different from a typical purpose-built temple.

In 2009 the exterior was redesigned, with new stupas and a new entrance. Carved wooden doors for the building were made in India. The community also raised funds for a large extension at the rear, which houses a community hall and a kitchen.

How did the temple begin?

The story starts before the church building. Local families first met in small groups in each other's houses. Early services were held at 32 Hall Road in Birmingham, before the growing congregation found a larger home on Heathfield Road. The 1969 opening was an important moment for Hindus in the region, because no earlier Hindu temple existed in the West Midlands.

Why does it matter beyond Handsworth?

The temple has a role in the wider story of Hinduism in the Midlands. In the 1970s, Vaishnavite Telugu migrants living around Birmingham gathered at this Gujarati-run temple to worship Venkateswara. That worship later grew into the Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple in Tividale. Shree Geeta Bhawan is therefore a starting point for more than one community institution in the region.

Where is it and how do you get there?

The temple lies in north-west Birmingham, in the Handsworth and Lozells area. Its coordinates are roughly 52.5057, -1.91108. The address is 107-117 Heathfield Road, at the junction with Brecon Road.

Frequently asked questions

When did Shree Geeta Bhawan open? It opened as a Hindu temple in 1969. Some sources list a different establishment date, but 1969 is the date given by most of them.

Was it always a temple? No. The building was originally St George's Presbyterian Church, designed in 1896.

What does the name mean? It refers to the Bhagavad Gita; "Shree" means holy and "Bhawan" means temple.

Where exactly is it? At 107-117 Heathfield Road, on the corner of Brecon Road, between Handsworth and Lozells in Birmingham.