Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown has become an honorary Hindu, taking the name Govardhan Brown, during a ceremony to mark the Diwali festival, an umbrella organisation for British Hindus said Thursday.
Brown, wearing marigold garlands around his neck and a bright vermilion teeka on his forehead, received the honour at the Hindu Forum of Britain's annual event to celebrate the faith's festival of light at parliament Wednesday.
Hindu Forum of Britain general secretary Ramesh Kallidai introduced the prime minister to guests, including prominent Indian businessmen and politicians, as "Shri Govardhan Brown".
He told Brown, who is a Scottish Presbyterian, "Govardhan" had a "sacred and auspicious" meaning in Sanskrit as a hill in paradise.