Shri Swaminarayan Mandir – visit India without leaving London

Want to go to India, but can’t afford the plane fare? Buy a tube ticket instead.



Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a taste of India marooned in the middle of Metroland. It’s a massive Hindu temple, built in traditional style, towering over the suburban sprawl of Neasden. All around may be mock Tudor semis and housing estates – but as soon as you go through the gate, you’re in the presence of the Hindu gods.
The temple’s profile is unmistakable; towering pinnacles of gleaming white limestone (perhaps best seen when they’re lit by a pale sun against a stormy sky). Every surface is decorated, carved in amazing detail. But you’ve seen nothing yet; go inside, and you’re in a huge space, filled with Carrara marble, carved with figures of gods, leaves, flowers, or abstract decoration. No surface is left bare; this is a whole sculpted world.
Yet though in many ways this temple feels as if it could have been built in the middle ages in the middle of India, something’s wrong. It feels very new.
And indeed it is; it opened in 1995. The story of its construction is amazing; the stone was sent off to Gujarat, where it was carved by locally trained stonemasons, and sent back by ship. The whole huge jigsaw puzzle was put together on site; and from beginning to end, the whole project took just three years. Ask any engineer or architect and they’ll tell you just how amazing that achievement is!
The temple is full of murtis, images of the gods. Shocking as it may sound to a Protestant brought up with an intense suspicion of religious images (and I must admit my upbringing made it difficult for me to get my head round this very different view of the sacred), traditional Hinduism advocates the worship of images as a link to divinity, believing that the human mind needs something other than abstraction to engage it and draw it towards the gods. Food offerings are made, and lamps waved in front of the images to offer them light.
As well as visiting the temple, you might want to visit the exhibition, ‘Understanding Hinduism’, for which a small charge is made (currently £2 for adults and £1.50 for children).
One tip – you might want to visit in the morning, leading up to the service at 1145; in the afternoon, the shrines are often closed for worship. And do ask whether a guide is available – if you’re not visiting in a big group, you don’t need to book, but you won’t get a guide unless you ask. Particularly if this is your first time in a mandir (Hindu temple), you’ll get a lot out of being shown around by someone who knows the place.