Year 7 students find respite at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Year 7 students experienced a visit to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Hindu temple) in Neasden on Friday 10 June as part of a term of study on Hindu beliefs and practice. The cool and serenity of the Mandir and Haveli (cultural centre) were a welcome respite from the challenging traffic conditions on the roads into London. The group received a warm welcome at the Mandir and the girls were struck by the remarkable and beautiful architecture. The Mandir was the first to be built according to traditional architectural requirements in Europe.

The Mandir was constructed in three years, from 3,000 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone and over 2,000 tonnes of Italian and Indian marble. All of the stone was carved in India, by more than 1,500 craftsmen, before being shipped back to Neasden and constructed as a giant 26,300 piece 3D jigsaw puzzle – the largest piece weighing more than 5.5 tonnes and the smallest about 50 grams.

Students were able to attend and observe the daily Arti (worship) in the Mandir, spend time looking at the remarkable building and spotting murtis (images) familiar from their studies, and attend a talk and Q&A session with one of the Mandir guides. In a short time, he was able to cover some key aspects of Hindu belief and practice while drawing in his own particular views and experience on subjects as diverse as vegetarianism, technology, the EU referendum, parties, diversity, fooling teachers and parents (but not God), and aubergines.