Chanda Vyas
Chanda Vyas (born 1952) is a British Hindu priest. She is Britain's first female Hindu priest.
Biography
[edit]Vyas was born in 1952 in East Africa and is of Indian descent.[1][2][page needed] She is from a Brahmin family,[3] and her father, grandfather and great grandfather were all Hindu priests.[4]
Vyas is based in Leicester, Leicestershire, England,[5] and worked as a social worker in the Health and Social Care department at Leicester City Council.[6] Her roles at the council included supporting the elderly, those with mental health issues and individuals with learning disabilities.[7]
Vyas became the first female Hindu priest, or purohita, to conduct ceremonies including weddings and funerals, in the United Kingdom; conducting ceremonies in both the English and Gujarati languages.[3][6][8] She has officiated weddings for LGBTQ and interfaith couples,[4][9] including the UK's first Hindu-Jewish lesbian wedding.[10][11][12][13] She has said that: "Hinduism does not talk about body mates. It talks about soul mates."[1] Vyas also conducted funerals online during the COVID-19 lockdowns.[14]
Vyas is training other women to become priests.[15] She has also raised awareness about the history and traditions of Diwali through the BBC Asian Network[16] and tradition, change and the politics of gender at live events.[15][17]
In 2023, Vyas was nominated for the BBC Radio Leicester's Make A Difference Award.[18]
Personal life
[edit]Vyas has three children.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Rupera, Prashant (19 December 2019). "UK's female priest having Guj roots booked till 2020!". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Mosse, Kate (13 October 2022). Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-5290-9221-9.
- ^ a b "City's first female Hindu priest". BBC News. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Breaking Down Barriers of Sexism and Tradition – Leicester". Pukaar Magazine. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Leicester's First Female Hindu Priest". Hindu Press International. 17 October 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ a b c Vaz, Keith. "Chanda Vyas..." Asian Voice. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Alam, Sarwar. "A Shining Star - the enlightening story of the UK's first female Hindu priest". Eastern Eye. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Hashmi, Emb (7 March 2013). "First Hindu Female Priest". Asian World News. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Mahn, Churnjeet; Dasgupta, Rohit K.; Ritu, D. J. (2025). Desi Queers: LGBTQ+ South Asians and Cultural Belonging in Britain. Oxford University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-911723-64-6.
- ^ "How Hinduism is fighting homophobia abroad". The Times of India. 10 September 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Fagan, Ciaran (16 August 2017). "Leicester couple tie the knot in 'UK's first interfaith lesbian marriage'". Leicestershire Live. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Hindu-Jewish lesbian couple's joy after search for wedding priest". BBC News. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "These women have become the first lesbian interfaith couple to get married in the UK". SBS Voices. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Mistry, Mita (4 June 2021). "A spiritual path to coping with Covid". Eastern Eye. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ a b Sharma, Nikita (27 February 2019). "Female Hindu priest breaks tradition with her modern stance on controversial issues". Leicestershire Press. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Bobby Friction, Diwali Celebrations Live from Leicester, Hindu Priest Chanda Vyas". BBC Asian Network. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Faith & Gender-Cultural Exchanges Festival". whatsthebigmistry. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "BBC Radio Leicester Awards 2023: 'Nobody has the right to take your dream away'". BBC Radio Leicester. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2025.