Frankfurt Desi Roundup — BAPS Diwali Celebrations and a Historic Legal History Centre
Two significant developments mark Frankfurt's South Asian community this week. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, the global Hindu spiritual organization, brought its Diwali and Hindu New Year Annakut celebrations to Frankfurt as part of its worldwide network of festive programming. And in the world of academic scholarship, the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft announced the establishment of the first European Research Centre dedicated to Indian legal history — a milestone for scholars of South Asian jurisprudence and a recognition of India's rich and complex legal traditions within one of Europe's premier research institutions.
🪔 BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Hosts Diwali and Annakut Celebrations in Frankfurt
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha organized Diwali and Hindu New Year Annakut celebrations in Frankfurt, Germany, marking the Hindu festival of lights and the traditional Annakut offering ceremony for the Indian diaspora community in the region. The events, documented on the official BAPS website at baps.org for 2025, reflect the sustained global reach of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which maintains an extensive network across the UK and Europe, North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. Annakut — meaning 'mountain of food' in Sanskrit — is a traditional Hindu ceremony in which an array of prepared dishes is offered to the deity as a gesture of gratitude and devotion at the start of the Hindu New Year, immediately following Diwali. Frankfurt, one of Germany's largest and most internationally diverse cities, serves as an important hub for the Indian and South Asian community in continental Europe, and the BAPS celebrations there are part of a coordinated worldwide series of Diwali events held simultaneously across dozens of countries. The Frankfurt programme offered community members an opportunity for collective worship, cultural connection, and festive participation far from the subcontinent, reinforcing BAPS's role as a cornerstone institution for Hindus living in the diaspora. BAPS produces publications, audio and video content, and conducts regular Satsang Sabha gatherings that sustain spiritual practice and community cohesion among South Asian families settled abroad. [2]
🎓 Max Planck Establishes First European Research Centre for Indian Legal History
The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Germany's foremost basic research organization, has announced the establishment of the first European Research Centre dedicated to Indian legal history, according to a report on the official Max Planck website at mpg.de. The Centre marks a significant milestone in the academic study of Indian jurisprudence and legal tradition within a European institutional framework, creating a dedicated home for archival, comparative, and historical research into India's rich and layered legal heritage. That heritage spans ancient classical systems including Hindu and Islamic jurisprudence, the extensive statutory frameworks introduced during the colonial era, and the transformative constitutional developments that followed Indian independence in 1947. The Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, based in Frankfurt, is among the organization's flagship humanities institutions, making the city a natural location for a centre that bridges Indian legal scholarship with the resources and academic infrastructure of the European research community. For South Asian scholars working in Europe, and for the Indian diaspora community in Germany and across the continent, the new Centre represents both an institutional recognition of the depth and significance of South Asian legal traditions in global comparative law and a practical resource for those seeking to engage with this heritage through rigorous scholarly inquiry. The initiative positions Frankfurt as a growing node for South Asian academic engagement in Europe. [3]
Sources: [2] BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha · [3] Max-Planck-Gesellschaft