Hindu Temple

My friend, Jess, invited me to come with her to tour the Hindu temple in London. I had never heard of this place before so I was really excited to see it. The Baps Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is often referred to as the "Neasden Temple" since it is located in Neasden (right by the IKEA, actually). 

As a large traditional stone mandir, this building needed to conform to ancient architectural texts and Britain's modern building code. Mass amounts of time were put in to figuring out which materials would stand up to Britain's weather and intricate carvings. 

The carved figures on the front porch serve as both ornate decoration and structural support. This building uses no structural steel inside or out. 

The stones and wood were carved by artists in India then built in London. The columns, domes, and ceilings are designed with celestial beings, floral and geometric patterns, and stone latticework.  

The Neasden temple was selected as one of the seven wonders of London by Time Out London alongside St Pancras (you know it as Kings Cross Station in Harry Potter), the Natural History Museum, and Old Royal Naval College. 

As we toured the inside the mandir, one of the worshippers approached us and told us about the different figures in the carvings. He told us about the living presence of the Deities in what we thought were statues. The sacred images are given rest times as they are seen as living and conscious. I was really glad that he gave us an introduction to some of the beliefs and answered our initial questions.

Jess takes amazing photos and took this cute photo of us outside the mandir. I really enjoyed going to this amazing sight in London. This city will never cease to impress me