THOUSANDS of people are expected to flock to a special celebration at a Hindu temple.

Up to 2,500 people are expected to visit the Shree Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple in Adelaide Street, Daubhill, which turns 40 on Friday.

When it opened in 1973 it was the first of its kind to be built in the UK and Europe.

Harish Varsani, from the temple, said: “There’s a lot of excitement and we’re really hoping everything goes successfully.”

Special visitors include the Spiritual Leader, His Holiness Maharajshri, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Bolton.

Visitors from 15 Swaminarayan temples from across the country will be in Bolton over the weekend for the celebrations.

The highlight will be the carnival parade on Saturday, starting at Queens Park, Bolton and finishing at the temple.

A marquee has been set up to honour Ghanshyam Maharaj, the Swaminarayan God, while a float is ready for the Priests’ ceremony today.

Mr Varsani said: “We’re very pleased with the support we’ve had. There’s been a lot of effort put into the decorations, to make people feel welcome.

“The parade will be fantastic — we’ll have visitors coming from as far away as London and Cardiff.”

Seema Varsani, fellow press officer for the temple, said: “We’ve been very busy and the excitement is building.

“Everybody’s been involved and the whole community has come together for these celebrations.

“From the kids doing the decorations to those helping out in the kitchen, it’s been a strong group effort.

“This morning we started at 7am and expect to be working until 11pm. Work on these celebrations has been going on since April and we can now see it is paying off.”

Those wishing to attend the evening celebrations will be treated to dinner and can park in the Print Unit car park opposite the temple.

To find out more about the celebrations, call the temple on 01204 652604.