German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann has highlighted the newly opened Sri Ganesha Temple in Berlin's Neukölln as a symbol of the vibrant Indian community and growing people-to-people ties between India and Germany. Speaking to ANI, Ackermann called it the tallest Hindu temple in Europe, with a 17-metre-high gopuram (tower).
Tallest Hindu Temple in Europe
Ackermann said, "I just came back from Berlin, and I saw the new Hindu temple in Berlin, which is the tallest in Europe. I'm very proud to say that the Gopuram is taller than any other Hindu temple. It's very beautiful. It's a sort of Tamil-style beautiful South Indian temple." The temple opened on June 8 after several days of festivities.
Indian Community and Employment
During his visit, Ackermann interacted with many Indian community members. "I spoke with many Indians who came to the temple to pray, and many of them had studied in Germany, and all of them got a good job afterwards," he said. He noted that nearly 60,000 Indian students are currently studying in Germany, and those who choose the right course and university have strong employment prospects.
India-Germany Cooperation on Skilled Migration
Ackermann also underlined the success of India-Germany cooperation on mobility, focusing on fair and legal skilled labour migration. "We have had a very successful cooperation with the Indian government on mobility. We focus on skilled labour migration in a fair and legal way. We do that together with the center and states of India. I think so far, we have seen a lot of very good results, mainly in the areas of nursing and caregiving, but also in other areas like apprenticeships and engineering," he said.
Temple Details and History
The Sri Ganesha Temple is located on the edge of Hasenheide park. It was founded on September 24, 2005, and consecrated on June 7, 2026 — after 21 years of construction funded entirely by donations and seva. On June 8, it was recognized as a registered non-profit by the Finanzamt für Körperschaften. The temple is run by ten volunteer board members and three pujaris. Doors open daily from 4 pm to 6 pm, with aarti in the morning and evening. The temple is open to all Hindu currents — Vaishnava, Shaiva, Shakta, Smarta — and to all visitors.
In 2015, the first gopuram tower rose, made of black granite from Tamil Nadu, hand-carved by Indian stonemasons. Earlier, in 2014, the smaller Sri-Mayurapathy-Murugan-Tempel in Britz opened as Berlin's first Hindu temple. From June 3-7, 2026, a five-day festival took place. On June 7, water from the Ganges and from Berlin was poured by crane onto the spire of the 17-metre vimana.
