Bahai Temple
Bahai Temple the only Mother Temple in the continent of Africa is also known as Mashriqu’l-Adhkar. There are only 9 temples of the Bahai religion in the entire world having with each continent having only one Temple. Bahai temple in Uganda is located just a few kilometres from the capital city centre of Kampala. The temple is built on the top hill of Kikaya Hill which is located in Kisasi four kilometres along Gayaza Road. The Bahai faith in Uganda was limited in the early 19th century till in 1951 when the faith started gaining more in Uganda. After four years more than 500 Baha’is which came from 80 communities that included the 13 Bahai local Spiritual Assemblies, 9 pioneers which were dispatched to other African countries.
The faith lost again during Amin’s reign of power when the Bahai Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga and his family were murdered. After the downfall of Amin, the faith started getting back to its routes and gained later with the population of the followers increasing to 105,000 believers. More community involvement was set with the main aim of promoting the welfare of the Ugandans. Bahai temple is a house of worship where the Bahai faith believers go and assemble. The Bahai temple sits on 52 acres of land high on the tip of the hill with its unique architectural masterpiece. It was built between 1958 to 1961, it measures 130ft with the dimension of 44ft in diameter. It building is built in 9 sided structure which represents the nine temples in the whole world.
The history of Bahai Religion in Uganda (Bahai Temple)
The Bahai religion was introduced to Uganda in September 1946 through Uganda Doctor called Dr Ernest Kalibala who was among the first Ugandans to get PhD. Dr Kalibala was working with the UN and was taken to address a conference in New York which took place in the Bahai centre of New York. He got interested in the religion as he saw how together the believers were sharing a common goal at all times. Unlike other religions which were introduced by white missionaries in Africa, Bahia was introduced to Uganda by our own citizen. The plans materialised around 1950 after joint cooperation of Americans, British, Egyptians and the Persian Bahai Community. The Bahai materials were translated to different African languages which were sent to Africa in Aug 3rd 1951.
It took two months for the first Ugandan to join Bahai religion those were Fred Bigabwa who was Mutoro by tribe and Kajubi who was a Muganda by the tribe. Later the war veteran Enoch Olinga who was Itesot by tribe joined the team to become the first Etesot to become Bahi and he abandoned all his alcoholic life which cost him his job while working with the government.
The first Bahai Spiritual Assembly in Uganda was conducted in 1952 where the members were elected. It is out of these assemblies that Uganda was chosen as the destination in Africa where the Bahai temple was built. The three Ugandans those are Joseph Mbogo, Max Kanyerezi and Elisha Kiwanuka bought land under their trust where the Bahai house of worship was constructed in Uganda. The temple was named as Mother temple of Africa located in the top hill of Kikaya hill fund at the outskirt of Kampala.
In 1958 the foundation stone was laid by Hands of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum while Musa Banani presented all the material gifts during this wonderful ceremony which was done at the site where current Bahai temple sits. The gifts included soil from the inner-most shrine of Bahaullah, soil from the fortress of Maku where the Bab was imprisoned.
The Mother Temple of Africa (Bahai temple) over half-century continues to be open to thousands of tourists from all corners of the world. The temple welcomes all types of believers and non-believers too. Being the only temple in Africa, Bahai temple is ninth with others found in Chile, USA, German, Samoa, Panama, India, Cambodia and Australia. The Bahai temple is modelled in a traditional African hut with a round-like a shape which symbolises the divine circle which reflects heaven on earth and the spirituality of the sacred borders.
The temple sits on 50 acres of land was designed according to the climatic conditions of the country. The circular porch on the lowest level provides protection against strong wings since the temple was built in a raised area. The outer part is painted on green and white while the inner dome is painted blue. The Bahai temple has a sitting capacity of over 400 people hence making a sitting arrangement at the temple humble.
Bahai temple is one of the unmissable tourism sites while on your city tour in Uganda capital Kampala. With an evergreen compound, the temple has nice gardens where one can have a good view of the city while on a high point. Their guides especially M Eric Wafula is a well experienced guide who has worked at the temple for many years. He is rich with all the cultural and religious aspects of the Bahai temple. There are three mandatory prayers daily at the Bahai temple as indicated in Kitab-i-Aqdas which is their holy book. This book was written by Baha I the founder of the religion in 1873. It contains all the regulations and laws that govern religion. All the Bahi followers follow and abide by these rules or laws. There is no dedicated day for prayers by Bahai believers but follow the free time believers have, in Uganda at Bahai temple, prayers are done on Sunday with no dress code restrictions.
The Bahai religion has only 11 holy days which include the twin Holy birthdays, two consecutive days for the birth of Bahaullah and Bab and others. The Bahai don’t practise baptism but waits for the newborn child to turn to 15 then he or she declares their faith and declaration certificates are given. In Uganda, there are over 10 Bahai centres which are distributed countrywide where the believers can go and worship if they are far from the temple. The temple remains open to all the guests of all believers, in Uganda it remains one of the key tourist attraction in the capital city which attracts both religious tourists and non-religious tourists. Come see the aerial view of the 7 hills that make up Kampala city through your visit to Bahai temple. It has contributed greatly in the Uganda Tourism Industry and is usually packaged under the Kampala City tour.
