The UK's Royal Navy has appointed Bhanu Attri as its first-ever Hindu chaplain. Attri, a Hindu priest with decades of experience running a Hindu temple in London, will also offer Hindu prayer ceremonies for Hindus.There are around 40 Hindu personnel serving full-time in the Royal Navy, plus another 30 in the Maritime Reserves. “The chance to represent individuals from other diverse religions brings meaningful representation for the Hindu community and reflects the Navy’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and spiritual care for all. My family feels immense pride.”Anil Bhanot, Hindu adviser to the ministry of defence (MoD), said: “In 2023 the Royal Navy created a position for a Hindu chaplain and I endorsed Pandit Bhanu Prakash Attri for best fitting the criteria. He has qualifications from India equivalent to a Sanskrit scriptural postgraduate degree.” Bhanot said he wanted to encourage more Hindu youth to join the British armed forces.“Although our spiritual Bhoomi is India, our Karma-Bhoomi is the UK and MoD represents our protective arm,” he said.

Source: The Times August 19, 2025 20:25 UTC