01Hindus of Natal
From 1860 to 1911 ships brought indentured Indians to the cane fields of Natal, Tamil and Telugu speakers from Madras and Bhojpuri speakers from Calcutta, followed by Gujarati traders. The first Hindu temple in South Africa went up in 1869, and by 1875 the Tamils of Durban had a well-used temple on the Umbilo, the First River temple. Under apartheid, Indians were moved into separate townships, and Chatsworth, south-west of the city, became one of the largest. Srila Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON, visited Durban in 1975, and ten years later his followers opened this temple in the heart of the township.
02A lotus in a moat
The building is shaped like an open lotus seen from above, ringed by a water-filled moat and gardens, with the temple hall set within the petals. Its altar holds Radha Radhanath, Gaura-Nitai and Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come each year, and the temple’s kitchen serves vegetarian meals to the public and runs food relief across KwaZulu-Natal. Durban’s Ratha Yatra on the beachfront is one of the largest outside India. The temple marked its fortieth anniversary in October 2025.
The life of this place
- 1860The first indentured Indians land at Durban.
- 1869The first Hindu temple in South Africa is built.
- 1975Srila Prabhupada visits Durban.
- October 1985The Temple of Understanding opens.
Chatsworth, about 20 km south-west of central Durban. The restaurant and gardens are open daily.
