Swindon's Hindu community celebrates Navratri in Gorse Hill
Looking back, 17 October 2026: Swindon's Hindu community was celebrating Navratri with nine nights of Garba and Dandiya dancing, music and worship in Gorse Hill, organised by Hindu Samaj Swindon.
Looking backThis story covers news from . Swindo wrote it later from the published source, and published it on 12 November 2026. More from that day
Last updated: 12 November 2026
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Photo: Jaggery via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 · source (illustrative photo of the place, not of the event)
On the evening of Friday 16 October 2026 the Punjabi Community Centre in Gorse Hill hosted the sixth night of Navratri, with members of Swindon's Hindu community dancing Garba. Swindon24 reported on the celebrations the next morning, Saturday 17 October.
What is Navratri?
It is a festival of nine nights dedicated to the worship of the goddess Durga. In 2026 it began on Sunday 11 October and ran to Dussehra on Tuesday 20 October. Each night has its own meaning and colour.
Siddharth Patel, chairman of Hindu Samaj Swindon, which organised the celebrations, said: "It's basically a nine nights festival, and today is the sixth night." He added: "Today's colour is green, that means growth, nature and new beginnings."
Garba comes from Gujarat in India. Dancers move in circles with rhythmic clapping and music. It was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in December 2023.
Councillor Gayle Cook, Swindon's Deputy Mayor, was among the guests.
How big is Swindon's Hindu community?
Swindon24 quoted Office for National Statistics census figures: the number of residents identifying as Hindu rose from 2,597 in 2011 to 5,865 in 2021, from 1.2% to 2.5% of the borough's population.
Mr Patel, who moved to Swindon in 1972, put most of the growth down to work, particularly at IT companies. "If a relative is in Swindon, then the others follow," he said.
Hindu Samaj Swindon has been active since 1973 and became a registered charity in March 2005.
