Shree Shiv Shakti Mandir has served Zanzibar's Hindu community for over six decades — one of only two Hindu temples on the island, kept alive today by the people who grew up walking through its gate.
Tucked down a narrow alley off Hurumzi Street in Stone Town, Shree Shiv Shakti Mandir has stood since 1958 — long before most of the buildings around it took their current shape. There's no grand facade, no signage announcing it. You find it because someone tells you where to look, or because you already know.
The temple has always belonged to Zanzibar's Gujarati Hindu community, generations of families whose lives on the island are woven into its trade, its streets, and its quieter corners. It remains one of only two Hindu temples in Zanzibar today.
For a long time, the temple was run the way it always had been — by the community's elders, on trust and handwritten ledgers. In recent years, a newer generation has stepped in to carry that forward: digitising records, formalising accounts, and starting the long work of repairing what age has worn down.
Regular aarti and prayers continue at the mandir, alongside the festivals that bring the community together through the year. Around the temple, the union also holds rental rooms and property — once neglected, now slowly being restored, both to house the community's activities and to help fund the temple's upkeep.
A building this old asks for constant care. Whatever you're able to give goes toward keeping the mandir standing, its grounds in good repair, and its doors open to the community that has always gathered here.
Choose where your support goes, or leave it general — every fund keeps the temple and its community running.
Online giving is launching soon. For now, message us on WhatsApp or email and we'll share bank transfer details.
Every rupee, shilling, and dollar we've received has gone toward moving this temple from handwritten ledgers to open books — and now, toward the repairs that keep it standing for the next generation.
— Hindu Union Zanzibar, Temple Committee
The mandir is managed by Hindu Union Zanzibar, a registered NGO and the body responsible for the temple, its grounds, and its community programmes.
Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania