Balavihar

Bala Vihar is a forum through which children learn about many aspects of Hindu culture and philosophy according to their level of understanding. They grow to have a strong grounding and develop pride in their identity and gain an appreciation for their rich heritage. The goals of Balavihar are for the children and families to learn about Hindu culture while developing bonds within the community so that they feel a sense of belonging.

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Balavihars were first started in North America when Pujya Gurudev saw that children here seemed to be feeling lost and were losing their ties to their culture in the 1970's, so he asked Sharada Kumar to go to India to learn from the Sevikas there. She started the first Balavihar thereafter in New York in 1976, and then moved to Ann Arbor in 1983, where she started Balavihar in 1985.