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Arya Samaj was established in Ghana in August 1986 by Pandit Wreston Charles Ankoh when he founded the Arya Vedic Mission in Accra. Ankoh was the first black African to be trained as a Vedic priest in Durban, South Africa. Under the guidance of Pandit Nardev Vedaalankarji, he completing his studies in Vedic knowledge, Vedic mantras and yoga philosophy . Initially the Mission consisted of five members from African families, who gathered for weekly satsangs, yagnas and philosophical study.

From humble beginnings, the Ghana Arya Vedic Mission has grown dramatically, and broadcasts the Samaj's Hindu teachings across Ghana through public speaking, satsangs and literature. On the back of his success in Ghana, Ankoh is negotiating to begin a mission in neighboring Nigeria. Ankoh's success is due to maintaining the integrity of the Vedic rituals and chants, while allowing a reconciliation of Indian customs and traditional Ghanaian cultural practices. For marriages, the bride may dress in Ghanaian fashion. Members often keep their Ghanaian ancestral name during the namakarana (name-giving sacrament). Vegetarianism and yoga practice are taught and encouraged, and the Ghana youth excel at hatha yoga postures.

References

v t e Arya Samaj
Africa	Ghana Kenya Mauritius Mozambique South Africa Tanzania Uganda
Asia	India Burma Malaysia Pakistan Singapore Thailand
Caribbean	Trinidad and Tobago Guyana Suriname
Europe	England Netherlands
North America	Canada United States
Oceania	Australia Fiji New Zealand
Core topics	Dayananda Saraswati D.A.V. College Managing Committee Ghar Wapsi Gurukula Moksha Satyarth Prakash The Arya Marriage Validation Act, 1937
Prominent Arya Samajists	Pandit Lekh Ram Swami Shraddhanand Bhagat Phool Singh Lala Lajpat Rai Narayan Rao Pawar
Arya heroes	Ganga Prasad Upadhyaya Shahu of Kolhapur Mahatma Hansraj Swami Omanand Saraswati Sarla Bedi Sarla Thukral List of Arya Samajis
Context	Hindu reform movements Indian diaspora Indianisation Influence of Indian religions Indian-origin religions Hinduism Buddhism Jainism Sikhism Persecution of Hindus

v t e Hinduism topics
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• Arya Samaj
• Hinduism in Ghana
• Religious organizations established in 1986
• 1986 establishments in Ghana