London Buddhist Vihara Launches Centenary Celebration with Week-long Vesak Festival

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London Buddhist Vihara Launches Centenary Celebration with Week-long Vesak Festival

By Dipen Barua
May 23, 2025

The London Buddhist Vihara (LBV) officially began its centenary celebrations for 2026 with a week-long observance of Vesak from 11 May. The event was attended by prominent Buddhists from across the UK, as well as diplomats from major Buddhist nations, including India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, and monastics from various Buddhist traditions.

“This is a historic occasion—the vihara has not witnessed such a distinguished and diverse gathering,” said the LBV’s abbot and Chief Sangha Nayaka of Great Britain Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala. “Marking the centenary of the London Buddhist Vihara has deep meaning and lasting legacy.

“I am especially honored by the presence of more than 20 venerable monks representing various traditions and communities. Their presence brings immense spiritual strength and unity,” Ven. Bogoda stated. (The Chiswick Calendar)

Vesak is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar for millions of Buddhists worldwide, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha. Numerous devotees gathered at the LBV to observe the five precepts on this significant day, which aligned with the full moon on 11 May.

Ven. Seelawimala Thero, head monk of the LBV and chief sangha nayake of Great Britain, with Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Kumar Doraiswamy. From sundaytimes.lk

During the LBV’s Vesak celebration, India’s high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Kumar Doraiswamy, unveiled a plaque honoring the resolution proposed at the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 by former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, the late Lakshman Kadirgamar, who urged the UN to designate Vesak as an international holiday. The resolution was unanimously adopted that same year.

Founded in 1926 by the Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist and revolutionary figure Anagarika Dharmapala (1864–1933), the LBV was the first Theravada Buddhist monastery established outside the Asian continent. The vihara was initially founded in the London borough of Ealing on a property acquired with funds provided by Hawaiian philanthropist Mary Foster Robinson (1844–1930), who was known as the first Buddhist in Hawaii. Anagarika Dharmapala named the center Foster House.

Speaking at the Vesak celebrations, the president of the Buddhist Society, Dr. Desmond Biddulph, emphasized that Anagarika Dharmapala’s vision of introducing Buddhism to the UK, and Mary Foster’s contributions as the temple’s benefactor were crucial in securing the initial funding for LBV. (The Chiswick Calendar)

The London Buddhist Vihara. From chiswickcalendar.co.uk

The center later moved to the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where, on 5 February 1928, Foster House, then known as the Buddhist Mission, was converted into a vihara, now referred to as the LBV. During World War II, the British government requisitioned the LBV for military purposes. After the war, the LBV resumed normal operations at Regent’s Park in Kensington.

In 1964, the LBV relocated to district of Chiswick when the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust (ADT) of Sri Lanka acquired a freehold property at 5 Heathfield Gardens. In 1994, the vihara moved to larger premises on The Avenue, Chiswick. In 2003, the Vihara Management Committee (VMC) was established to oversee the LBV and served as legal representatives for ADT. In December 2020, the vihara was granted charitable status and is now registered as the London Buddhist Vihara Trust.

The LBV has evolved into a prominent centre for Theravada Buddhism, with resident monks from Sri Lanka consistently engaging in the dissemination of the Dhamma.

Dipen Barua

Dr. Dipen Barua is a teaching faculty member at the Centre for Buddhist Studies at The University of Hong Kong. He has authored a book and published several articles in Bengali and English, on the subject of Buddhist studies, women’s issues, Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia, and cultural heritage.

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