BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden (also commonly known as the Neasden Temple), is a Hindu temple in the London Borough of Brent in northwest London. Built entirely using traditional methods and materials, Neasden’s Swaminarayan Mandir has been described as being Britain’s first authentic Hindu temple. It was also Europe’s first traditional Hindu stone temple, as distinct from converted secular buildings. It is a part of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) organization and was inaugurated on August 20, 1995 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

The Mandir was cited in Guinness World Records 2000, as follows:

However, it has now been surpassed in size by other BAPS temples elsewhere. The mandir was built and funded entirely by the Hindu community. The entire project spanned five years although the Mandir construction itself was completed in two and a half years. Building work began in August 1992. On 24 November 1992, the temple recorded the biggest-ever concrete-pour in the UK, when 4,500 tons was put down in 24 hours to create a foundation mat 6 ft (1.8m) thick. The first stone was laid in June 1993; two years later, the building was complete.

Angkor Wat in Cambodia is larger but is no longer used as a Hindu temple.

The Neasden Temple complex consists of:

• A traditional Hindu temple (mandir), constructed mainly from hand-carved Italian Carrara marble and Bulgarian limestone. The temple is the focal point of the complex
• A permanent exhibition entitled ‘Understanding Hinduism’
• A cultural centre, known as the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Haveli, designed in traditional Gujarati haveli architecture, housing an assembly hall, gymnasium, bookshop, and offices.