Britain's King Charles III on Tuesday inaugurated a new gurdwara in Luton, England, on his first trip to Bedfordshire, and had a wholesome interaction with community leaders, volunteers, and students. The 74-year-old monarch was welcomed with a rousing rendition of ''Bole so Nihal'' - the Sikh slogan. At the gurdwara, he was greeted by Indian-origin Professor Gurch Randhawa, member of the local Sikh congregation and Director of the Institute for Health Research at the University of Bedfordshire, BBC reported.
Respecting Sikh traditions, King Charles covered his head with a kerchief, offered his prayers, and sat on the floor with Sikh devotees in the prayer hall.
He also visited the community kitchen and interacted with the volunteer women who were preparing rotis for the devotees. He was even seen making the traditional ''namaste'' gesture while happily greeting the volunteers and members of the gurdwara. King Charles also met children who are learning Punjabi and traditional music.
The pictures and videos of the King's visit were shared on the official Instagram page of the Royal family. The caption read, "At the newly built Guru Nanak Gurdwara, His Majesty met volunteers who run the Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen Stand. The kitchen provides vegetarian hot meals 7 days a week, 365 days a year at the Gurdwara."
Watch the video here:
It further read, "During the pandemic, the Gurdwara also ran a pop-up Covid vaccine clinic, which was one of the first of its kind in the UK. The Gurdwara encouraged other places of worship to tackle misinformation regarding vaccine hesitancy."
The building work for the new gurdwara commenced in 2020 and is described as an impressive 37 by 32 meters wide, three storeys high construction, built with the support of local donations. The gurdwara langar serves around 500 meals a day and the local community also runs the Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen every Sunday outside the Town Hall, serving around 150 meals.
Featured Video Of The Day
"Reforms Focus Not For Editorials, But To Make Country Strong": PM's I-Day Speech
First-Ever King Charles III Banknotes Fetch Rs 9 Crore At Auction, Over 11 Times Their Value Sri Lanka Name Ian Bell As Batting Coach for England Tour New Details Emerge In Graham Thorpe Case After Cricketer Dies By Suicide 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court Independence Day Updates: "75,000 New Seats For Medical Students In Next 5 Years", Says PM Modi 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing "Working To Reduce Government Interference In People's Lives": PM Modi "Natural Disasters Increasing Concerns": PM Modi On Independence Day "We Have Brought New Criminal Laws To Ensure Justice For All": PM Modi Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.