On 1st December 2025, divine history was made in the nation of South Africa as the Chinmaya Mission consecrated and inaugurated the world’s first dedicated Annapoorna Devi Temple outside the Indian subcontinent, in the city of Durban, under the visionary leadership of Swami Abhedananda Saraswati (Spiritual Head, Chinmaya Mission South Africa).
The Shri Chinmaya Annapoorna Devi Temple is a sacred space of grace which is aimed at invoking the cosmic power of nourishment held by Devi Annapoorna, to help eradicate hunger and uplift the local communities of South Africa. The temple’s background is associated to one of Chinmaya Mission South Africa’s leading social initiatives, namely ‘Nourish to Flourish’, which has fed over 250,000 meals to underprivileged families and schoolchildren across Durban city since its inception in October 2024. The project continues to feed 2,000+ nourishing meals to the needy every single day of the year, for free, and operates from a state-of-the-art mega- industrial kitchen at the Chinmaya Annapoorna ashram in Durban. It is to propel the sustenance and widespread benefit of this project, that Swami Abhedananda envisioned the advent of Devi Annapoorna in South Africa.
In November, news of this temple went global. On 21st November, during the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg, India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met and interacted with Swami Abhedananda at an exclusive meeting with community leaders. There, the Honourable PM blessed and gifted a sacred Ashtalakshmi Kalasha containing Shree Anna (millets) from India and South Africa, to Swami Abhedananda for placing at the Devi Temple, as a mark of the PM’s goodwill and support. The Prime Minister also posted about this on his X account.
Finally, in the morning of 1st December, the auspicious Mokshada Ekadashi day, and in the presence of nearly 4,000 devotees, Swami Abhedananda led the Prana Pratishtha rituals of the temple, accompanied by Vedic priests who had been invited from southern India to conduct the prayers. Abhishekam of the temple’s shikhara and of Devi Annapoorna’s endearing vigraha was performed. Thereafter, in the blessed presence of sannyasins from various Hindu organisations across South Africa, Swami Abhedananda unveiled the inaugural plaque of the temple, which recorded the temple as a tribute to H.H. Swami Chinmayananda as part of the 75th year celebrations of the global Chinmaya Mission.
As thousands of devotees gathered to offer bowls of rice to Devi Annapoorna and seek Her grace, they were reminded of Swami Abhedananda’s words in August 2023, during the bhoomi puja (groundbreaking ceremony) of the ‘Nourish to Flourish’ kitchen facility. “Devi ji will sit here with a ladle in Her hand and feed millions! You just see Her magic in two-three years!” A little over two years later, with the project already feeding thousands, Devi Annapoorna came from the banks of Ganga in Kashi, to the shores of Durban in South Africa, as if to fulfil Swamiji’s pious prophecy.
The evening celebrations on 1st December were marked by the presence of esteemed dignitaries from government, media and corporate backgrounds. Most notably, the Honourable Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Mr Thami Ntuli, graced the event to officiate the temple’s opening. It was heartening to see him offer his open support to the Dharmic cause as he said, “The opening of this temple is an invitation to spread the message of Devi Ma’s grace far and wide. Through the teachings of the Chinmaya Mission, we are called to be instruments of that grace.” Festivities concluded with divine darshan for guests and devotees, and a sumptuous dinner Mahaprasadam.
In his morning and evening talks, Swami Abhedananda strongly encouraged the masses to live their learnings of Hinduism and Vedanta by loving and serving all, and seeing the poorest as their own. Significantly, he declared that, “Let us take up the goal of making Durban and South Africa hunger-free by 2030!”, referring to the UN’s SDGs for 2030. The temple is now poised to become a symbol of Sanatana Dharma’s indelible international contributions to the upliftment of all sections of society, through both physical and spiritual nourishment alike.
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