One man built Canberra's Indian community from just five families in 1979
Nilanjan Agarwal arrived in Canberra in 1979 as one of five Indian families and helped establish the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre.
When Nilanjan Agarwal reached Canberra on January 12, 1979, spotting another Indian on the street was unusual enough to cross the road and start a conversation. There were no WhatsApp groups or Facebook pages to find people from home.
Agarwal initially knew just five Indian families, all schoolteachers. Agarwal opened the telephone directory, searched for Indian names and began calling.
Within two months, his weekends filled with newly discovered neighbours. There was one Indian restaurant, no Indian grocery store, no Hindu temple and no priest for ceremonies.
The Agarwals travelled to India for spices; Sydney's Bondi had the only Indian grocery that could supply what Canberra lacked. Agarwal conducted pujas in homes across the city.
In 1979, community members formed a mandir society and began collecting money for a permanent temple. Land was secured in 1991, and by 1995 the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre in Mawson was built.
- January 12, 1979
- Arrival date
- Five
- Initial Indian families
- 1995
- Temple opened
- 218 ACT residents in 1971-1980
- India-born arrivals
Why it mattersOne person's effort to connect and preserve tradition can grow a whole community from nothing.
AustraliaCanberra's Indian community grew from five families in 1979 to a established presence with temples, shops and priests; Agarwal's story shows how multicultural Australia was built from the ground up.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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