Neasden Temple:
King Charles III and Queen Camilla made a memorable visit to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, widely known as Neasden Temple, in London.
- Neasden Temple, or BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, is a Hindu Temple, located in Neasden, London.
- It was the first traditional Hindu stone temple in Europe.
- The temple opened in 1995.
- It was built using old, traditional methods and materials.
- The Guinness World Records 2000 once called it the “Biggest Hindu Temple outside India.”
- It was built by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a respected spiritual leader.
- The temple used a lot of special stone: 2,828 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone and 2,000 tonnes of Italian marble.
- This stone was sent to India to be carved by 1,526 sculptors. T
- The temple cost about £12 million to build.
- Since 2000, other BAPS temples have been built that are even bigger.
- The Neasden Temple was built and paid for entirely by the Hindu community.
- The whole project took five years, but the main temple building was finished in just two and a half years.
- Building work started in August 1992.
- The temple complex is made up of a few important parts:
- A mandir, which is the main temple building. It is made from hand-carved Italian marble and Bulgarian limestone.
- A permanent exhibition called “Understanding Hinduism.”
- The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Haveli, which is a cultural centre. It has a big hall, a gym, a bookshop, and offices.
