The foundation stone for the first Hindu temple outside India was laid in 1993, marking history and fulfilling the sacrifice and devotion of thousands of London based Hindu believers. Two years later, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj inaugurated BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London, Europe's first traditional Hindu stone temple.
Designed as per Shilpa Shastras, a lot of research, deliberation and innovative engineering went initially into constructing the infrastructure of the mandir. The Bochansanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha wanted a building that would stay true to India's architectural texts and meet with Britain's harsh weather at the same time. With countless hours of labour and the blessings of Pramukh Swami, the Temple was finally built, and now stands tall as it nurses the beliefs of thousands of Hindus away from home.
Around 3,000 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone was shipped 3,900 miles to India, along with 1,200 tonnes of Italian Carrara marble. Adding 900 tonnes of Indian Ambaji marble, a total of a little over 5,000 tonnes of stone was hand-carved into 26,300 pieces by more than 1,500 artisans at 14 different sites around India. All the pieces were then coded, packed and sent to London where they were assembled within 2.5 years. Featured with columns and beams of traditional Hindu motifs of auspiciousness, peace and piety carved into the walls, the temple is the perfect blend of art, architecture and devotion. Atop the main marble staircase is the roopchoki, a traditional entrance leading into the temple where visitors are engulfed with the smell of incense and music. Above, the large fluted central dome and its joining cupolas stand proudly as kalash-topped shikhars support them in the background. Beside the graceful shikhars fly the red and white flags of the temple, gloriously welcoming people into the house of God.
One of the many beautiful features of the temple is the Abhishek Mandap, a marble chamber in the lower floor of the main building, which cradles a brass statue of Nilkanth Varni. Lord Swaminarayan set off on a journey after renouncing his home at the young age of 11. His pilgrimage is a tale of courage, kindness and enlightenment. His awakening took him across India, into Nepal and Tibet, Myanmar and Bangladesh, and it was during this time he came to be known as Nilkanth Varni.
The lower floor of the temple is a permanent exhibition spread across 3,000 square feet. It contains 3D dioramas, paintings, tableaux and traditional craftwork, providing an educative insight into the values and wisdom of Hinduism. Visitors can learn about the origin and beliefs of Hinduism, the contribution of Hindu seers and how the religion thrives through traditions like the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.
If the interior and the temple itself wasn't enough for one to indulge in divinity, the mandir is surrounded by an award-winning garden, flush with flowerbeds that come to life during spring and summer, lawns, evergreen yews and ornate patterns of topiary. Ancient Hindu motifs present in neoclassical English horticulture, make the garden a natural mix of Hinduism and British locale.
The Swaminarayan temple has been accoladed several times over the years.
Guinness Book of World Records: The Swaminarayan Mandir was recognised by the Guinness Book for the first time in 1997, in the Architecture category of the commerce section. A photograph and details of the place of worship were featured with the title 'Largest stone Hindu temple outside India.'
This was just the start to the number of recognitions the building was going to get over the years. It was again mentioned in the 1998 edition of the Book, this time in the Religious Architecture section as the 'Largest Hindu temple outside India'.
The Millennium edition of Guinness World records 2000 hailed His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj as a 'master-builder'. The temple and Pramukh Swami were featured under Architects and Master-builders category of the Knowledge section.
The Book recognised the Temple as the 'Largest Traditionally-built Hindu Temple' outside India in 2001.
In the 2002 edition, the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha found mention three times. Pramukh Swami Maharaj was chosen as one of the most influential people of the time, for his contribution to transforming millions of lives by building places of worship. A certificate was presented to recognise the world record of offering 1,247 vegetarian dishes during the Annakut Festival held at the Swaminarayan Mandir in 2000. A certificate of recognition was also given for being the largest traditionally built Hindu temple outside India.
Brent in Bloom Competition: In an annual competition where the local community exhibits their gardening skills, with seven different categories like colour, design, quality and cleanliness, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden came first in the Business/ Public Premises category in 2009. The gardens also received a Certificate of Excellence from London in Bloom campaign, the same year.
In 2010, for the second time running, the temple was selected as the best Business/ Public Premises in Brent, and was acknowledged with a special discretionary award.
It was again acknowledged for its outstanding achievements in 2012, for succouring the local community's 'a greener, cleaner place to live, work and visit', part of the Royal Horticultural Society's 'Britain in Bloom' campaign.
Queen's Award for Voluntary Service: The Children's Forum of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha based in the temple was announced as one of the 95 volunteering groups from across the country, and given the award that recognises outstanding voluntary contributions made to local communities by groups that devote their time for the benefit of others.
Seven Wonders of London: One of the highly respected international city guide publishers, Time Out, declared the temple as one of the 'Seven Wonders of London' and featured it on the number 7.
Olympic Pin Badge for 'Landmark London': The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and London Councils launched the 'Landmark London' competition in 2009, where Londoners were invited to vote for the most iconic landmark they would like to see feature in an individual pin badge. The temple was featured with an Olympic pin badge created with an image of the building.
UK Pride of Place Award: After a nationwide poll that showered the Swaminarayan temple with an overwhelming 81% of votes, it was awarded the 'UK Pride of Place' award in 2007, by government authorities. Ministers hailed it as “an inspiring building of which the whole country can be proud.”
Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England: The Swaminarayan temple found mention in the 1997/98 Annual Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England, where it is referred to as a “modern building of major importance in our multicultural society.”
Natural Stone Award: The Stone Federation issued a special award to the mandir in 1995.
Most Enterprising Building Award: This award was bestowed by the Royal Fine Art Commission and British Sky Broadcasting, in 1996.
70 Wonders of the Modern World: Readers' Digest publication 'The Eventful 20th Century', 1998, mentions the temple, lauding its scale, intricate detail and the story on how it was built and inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is one of the largest and most active Hindu organisations within the Indian diaspora. Its roots go back to the early 1950s, when London was still recovering from World War II, and a bunch of Indians had travelled over in search for a better life. From gatherings in a humble office near Baker Street, to its first mandir in a converted church, to the opening of the big temple in 1995, BAPS has made a long way to spread Pramukh Swami Maharaj's simple yet profound message, “ In the joy of others, lies our own.”
Opposite to the temple is the Swamirnarayan School, the first such Hindu school in the west. Founded and inaugurated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 1992, the idea behind the co-educational Prep and Senior School is to provide the best of National Curriculum with the added atmosphere of Hindu ethos. Today, almost 500 students are learning and growing their way to becoming competent and responsible citizens. The school is academically the best in the Borough of Brent and was ranked fourth in the list of independent schools in London, in 2011.
The organisation's reverence for nature and the environment reflects in the temple, which is why, along with the use of sourcing timber in the architecture, energy saving bulbs, skylights and partitioning was used to enhance energy conservation. The mandir also undertook one of the largest recycling projects in the UK, where more than 7 million aluminium cans were collected for recycling.
Every little aspect of the temple reveals its tender and respectful relationship with nature; from paying homage to seeking permission from the earth to build upon it, to finally thanking it when complete, and, asking for forgiveness in light for any injury that might have incurred in the process. The BAPS Swaminarayan Temple endeavours to nourish the relation with the environment while providing religious solace to all those who seek it.
