News
TRH visit the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, north west London
9th November 2007
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited the largest Hindu temple in Europe today and joined in the celebrations for the Diwali, the Festival of Light which welcomes in the Hindi New Year.
At the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, north west London, The Prince took the opportunity to praise the Hindu community’s “huge contribution” to British life.
Upon arrival, Their Royal Highnesses removed their shoes before being formally welcomed with the Tika Dot and traditional garlands and friendship bracelets.
Head Priest Sadhu Yogvivekdas then guided The Prince around the Mandir, which he has visited twice before and Her Royal Highness followed behind guided by Dr Sejal Popat.
Their Royal Highnesses were first shown the temple itself, housed in an ornate marble room where the floor was covered with tiny flickering candles.
The Prince and The Duchess separately laid flower petals at the foot of the sacred shrine which were already surrounded by 200 different dishes as an offering ready for tomorrow's New Year festival.
Their Royal Highnesses later poured water over Shri Nilkanth Varni, a symbolic gesture, before moving on to meet volunteers preparing the elaborate New Year displays.
The Prince admired a water melon carved specially with his feathers insignia, and he and The Duchess tried their hand at decorating candle holders with glitter paint.
The tour ended in the vast prayer hall where they lit a diva, or lantern, in recognition of Diwali before a short ceremony which included some traditional dancing.
The head priest extended a "hearty welcome" to Their Royal Highnesses and told the congregation that it was a "historic occasion".
He told The Prince: "You have been with us in our times of happiness and in our times of need ... an everlasting friend and a true supporter of our entire community."
The priest then gave the whole royal family a "blessing of peace and wellbeing" before The Prince rose to deliver a short speech.
Describing The Duchess as his "darling wife" His Royal Highness said they took enormous pleasure in joining everyone on such a happy day and thanked the people for their warm, overwhelming welcome, before praising the Hindu community’s contribution to British life.
The Prince said: "It is a remarkable and precious fact that Hinduism as a faith still touches upon every aspect of day-to-day lives: professions, culture and most crucially value systems.
"All I can say is long may it last in this era of frenetic chance and short-term thinking."
He added: "Some of you may feel that your huge contribution to the fabric of Britain is not truly recognised, but it is my belief today, more than ever, that your community is one of the most positive forces which help to bind the country together."
The ceremony ended after Their Royal Highnesses were presented with gifts including a scale model of the temple.