Windermere ‘as holy as Ganges for Hindus’

Religious leader calls for better infrastructure for scattering ashes at the Lake District beauty spot

A SPECIAL area for scattering ashes should be created at Windermere, a leading Hindu figure has said.

The Lake District has become a surprise tourist attraction for followers of Swaminarayan sect, a rapidly growing group within Hinduism, after one of its gurus, Jeevanpran Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa, died following a boat trip on the lake in August 1979.

Religious tradition dictates that the ashes of Hindus who die overseas should be scattered at holy sites such as Varanasi, Prayag and Haridwar on the banks of the Ganges in India.

But now some Swaminarayan Hindus in the north of England consider Windermere equally as sacred.

Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, has called for a special gazebo building and altarstyle platform to be built on its banks. He urged Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, and Lake District National Park Authority (LDNP) leaders to build a link road “so that grieving families and friends could gather and perform the last rituals properly, respectfully and peacefully”.

Mr Zed told a conference in Nevada, US, that the UK Government should “earnestly delve into developing this dedicated area”.

Mark Eccles, the LDNP head of park management, said there was “usually nothing to stop you from having a ceremony” in national parks but anyone scattering ashes should ask the permission of the landowner.

He added that it was “fine to use water with some caveats”, according to the BBC. “For inland rivers or lakes, contact the local Environment Agency to check there is no nearby water supply, and try to avoid areas where people might be swimming, fishing or boating while you’re doing the ceremony.”

Cremation and the place ashes are scattered are particularly important in Hinduism, with followers believing the ceremony is tied to reincarnation. The ashes of around 100,000 people are thrown into traditional sites every year.

Fewer than a million Hindus live in the UK and the number of ceremonies at Windermere is likely to remain small, with one estimate placing the figure at 10 per month. But for followers of Swaminarayan Hinduism, the site has become increasingly sacred.

“For us, the lake is as holy as any river in India and we believe that it would have the same impact for my father’s final journey as [if] we [were] travelling to India and performing the rites there,” said Khushal Bhojani, who scattered his father’s ashes in Windermere last month, according to The Times of India. “Due to Swamibapa’s connection … a number of devotees started visiting it and also immersing their dear ones’ last remembrance.”

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has raised concerns about the number of ashes scatterings of all religions in the park. Rob Dyer, access officer for the BMC, said ashes were affecting some eco systems by increasing the nutrient content of soil on some fell tops, leading to common grasses out-competing rare mountain species.