Just off the North Circular in Neasden, North London, you’ll find the biggest Hindu temple outside India, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. Constructed from over 5,000 tonnes of Italian marble and Bulgarian limestone, the temple took two and a half years to build, and was opened in 1995. It is an absolute marvel, and certainly the most intricately decorated religious building in the UK, both inside and out.
Visitors to the temple complex (which is open to everyone, whatever their faith) enter through the ‘haveli’ – a traditionally designed wooden building at the side of the stone ‘mandir’ which contains the reception area, the main hall for worship and, of course, a gift shop. The haveli is where the marvels start – carved from sustainable oak and teak it is as intricately carved as the main temple, starting at its grand entrance. When you go inside, look closely at what supports each level of the building as it rises to the apex – ranks and ranks of tiny little elephants!
Passing through the haveli, you enter the mandir at the ground floor, the walls and floors turning to marble from wood, and you’ll also note the rather stern signs everywhere, reminding visitors that they should maintain absolute silence. Being well-versed in Christian tradition I had assumed that the main stone structure was some sort of space for public worship, but it isn’t – a mandir actually contains a series of shrines which contain effigies (murtis) to a particular Hindu god or goddess, in this case the serial incarnations of Lord Swaminarayan, an Indian holyman born in 1781. Representations of several of the other principal Hindu deities can also be found in the mandir. Given how complex Hinduism is, it’s probably fortunate that there’s a permanent exhibition on the ground floor of the mandir which seeks to explain the basic principles for people who are unfamiliar with it…
Regarding the first floor of the mandir – words would fail me if I tried to set out exactly how breath-taking the space that sits under the massive limestone domes and pinnacles actually is, and unfortunately I can’t show you because cameras, phones and so on are strictly prohibited inside – I think the whole point of entering this area is to leave the material world outside. Suffice it to say that St Paul’s Cathedral, while much larger, has nothing on this area of the temple complex when it comes to beauty – I’ve never encountered anything remotely like it in my life, and the feeling of calm that descended was palpable. Whether thats down to the architecture, the enforced silence or something else altogether I can’t say…
If you’re curious as to what the interiors look like, you can see some of them on the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir website here, and also find out about the sect’s charitable work at home and abroad. Just to note if you’re considering going along there’s also a very classy Hindu vegetarian restaurant across the street where we had lunch today – Shayona. I recommend the thali if you’re feeling particularly hungry! If you’re struggling to think of something to do in London one afternoon, just go – this place is utterly unique and you won’t regret visiting.
About Pete Stean
