The Grand opening of the much-awaited 'Gateway from India' will be hosted on 1 September 2023, 10:30am at Ditchburn Place in Cambridge. This grand occasion is dedicated to celebrating the cross-cultural vibrancy of the Mill Road community. The Gateway is set to be a fusion of diverse traditions and the unity that our great community has. This will now become the first Gateway from India in the UK.
The priceless cultural piece was originally commissioned and carved in Rajasthan for the Indian community centre on Mill Road. When the building became untenable, the Traders Association saved the unique artwork with the support of County and City Councillors, ARU and Cambridge Universities. The archway will be constructed from decorative carvings salvaged from the former Bharat Bhavan Hindu temple on Mill Road inside the Old Library building, which was being renovated by Cambridgeshire County Council. The stonework was saved by Piero D’Angelico, on behalf of Mill Road Traders Association, when he heard that the council planned to dump the stones in a skip when it carried out renovation work on the building.
Former Chair of the Cambridge Hindu Association Thak Patel said, “There’s no secret that these carvings were part of a Hindu shrine, which is just down the road, which is sadly no longer. However, we as a community are pleased that the carvings now have a new home with a new association, namely having cultural significance to add to this history of Cambridge, for all to enjoy.”
