VEDANTA CENTRE, founded by Swami Ghanananda
in 1948. The MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI lectured on
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION in London in 1960.
In 1969 the Beatles hosted Swami A. C. Bhaktive-
danta PRABHUPADA in London, and in 1973 George
Harrison purchased Bhaktivedanta Manor for the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON).
Other more recent Hindu groups include
ANANDA MARGA YOGA SOCIETY (founded by P. R.
Sarkar), BRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL ORGA-
NIZATION (founded by Dada Lehraj), Prem RAWAT’s
movement (previously known as the Divine Light
Mission and now called Elan Vital), Sahaja Yoga
(led by Sri Mataji), the SELF-REALIZATION FELLOW-
SHIP (brought by YOGANANDA), Siddha Yoga Dham
(founded by MUKTANANDA), and Sri CHINMOY cen-
ters. SAT YA SAI BABA’s movement remains contro-
versial; SHIRDI SAI BABA (1838–1918), his allegedly
previous incarnation, is followed in his own right
by some of Britain’s Asian community, who regard
Satya Sai Baba as an imposter.
Western interest in Hindu spirituality has
given rise to a number of Western GURUS who
teach in the Indian tradition. The best known are
Baba RAM DASS (born Richard Alpert, 1931), Ava-
tar ADI DA SAMRAJ (born Franklin Jones, 1939),
See also UNITED STATES.Further reading: R. Ballard, Desh Pardesh: The South Asian
Presence in Britain (London: Hurst, 1994); G. Parsons, ed.,
The Growth of Religious Diversity: Britain from 1945, Vo l.
1, Traditions (London: Routledge, 1993); T. Thomas, ed.,
The British: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices 1800–1986
(London: Routledge, 1988); S. Vertovek, The Hindu Dias-
pora: Comparative Patterns (London: Routledge, 2000);
P. Weller, Religions in the U.K.: A Multi-Faith Directory
(Derby, England: University of Derby, 2003).
United States
The dissemination of Hindu thought and practice
in the United States began before any Hindu teacher
entered America. Ironically, the assimilation of
immigrants from India has not been a primary
vehicle for the introduction or popularization of
Hindu teachings. The development of appreciation
for Hindu traditions followed a standard American
pattern—dependence on European scholarship
and interpretation in the 17th, 18th, and 19th
centuries and independent experimentation and
selectivity in the 20th and 21st. During the 17th
century, colonists and missionaries set up relation-
ships with India that led to translation into English
of some Hindu sacred texts. The BHAGAVAD GITA,
translated in 1785, became important to Emerson,
Thoreau, and other leaders of the transcendentalist
movement early in the 19th century.Hindu temple in Malibu, California, a popular site for
American Hindus (Institute for the Study of American
Religion, Santa Barbara, California)United States 463 Jand Andrew COHEN (b. 1955).