Sunday, 27 September 2026 at 12pm

Celebrate the life and work of Rajah Rammohun Roy  at our public commemoration service. All are welcome. 

Rajah Rammohun Roy (1772-1833) was an individual of truly global stature, and is buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery on Ceremonial Way. His tomb, or Chattri, is clearly visible from the Bath Road entrance to the cemetery.

The Rajah was an extremely influential religious and political thinker, he coined the word “Hinduism” as a term for the diversity of Indian religions and wrote extensively on religious and social matters.  He stressed the importance of education for Indians, campaigned for women’s rights and worked to end the traditional practice of sati: the burning of widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands.

The Rajah’s unique and beautiful moment has long been a place of pilgrimage for many people including Bengalis, Indians, Unitarians and many others. Every year a commemorative ceremony is held on the Sunday nearest the anniversary of the Rajah’s death, on 27th September 1833. This year we will be meeting on Sunday 27^th September 2025.

Programme 

The full programme will be announced here soon.

Please book tickets below so we know how many people are planning to attend this free event.

Parking is limited so we encourage event attendees to use public transport.

Live Stream
If you’re unable to join us in person to commemorate the Rajah, you can still take part by watching the presentations via our live stream. A recording will also be available afterwards for those in different time zones. Registration details will be announced soon.

The Tomb

The Rajah's beautiful Bengali-style tomb is a listed monument and has long been a place of pilgrimage for Bengali's and Indians. It was repaired and conserved in 2008 using a generous gift from Kolkata. It is one of the largest in the cemetery, a beautiful grade II* stone monument built in the Victorian era to honour a man who's life and work is still relevant to people today.