Thousands from across UK attend Hindu festival at University of Cambridge

• Morari Bapu's nine day festival at Jesus College could have a worldwide audience of millions, as Matthew Hudson reports.

A nine-day Hindu festival at a historic university has "brought different cultures together", volunteers say.

Thousands from across Britain have attended the Ram Katha recital read by Hindu spiritual leader Morari Bapu at University of Cambridge's Jesus College, including the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Mr Sunak visited the event on Tuesday, which was also India's Independence Day, visiting not as prime minister but as a Hindu, he said.

"Just as Bapu has a golden Hanuman in his background I am proud that a golden Ganesh sits gleefully on my desk at 10 Downing Street," he said.

Morari Bapu's messages are based on the holy text which tells the story of the Lord Rama, but also draws on the wisdom he has learned travelling the world, giving over 900 performances, or Kathas, as they are known.

Mira Manek, a volunteer at the event, said: "That's the foundation about which he speaks on the core principles which are truth, love and compassion but he's also about breaking barriers, about inclusivity, about bringing different cultures, religions and different sections of society together."

It is the first event of its type to be hosted at the University of Cambridge.

Lord Popat, a businessman and Conservative peer, organised the event and said: "The numbers here are very small, the smallest I've ever seen.

"Normally if it was in London it would be about 15,000 people - in India you're talking about four million plus.

"And this is televised live to about 600,000 people here in the UK, but it's televised in 155 countries. The total audience for Bapu's recital like this is about 20 million people."

The event, which is free to all, concludes on Sunday.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know