Temple Time

Friends invited me today to the Hindu temple in Neasden, as they thought it would interest me and it did. The building, opened in 1995, has intricate carving in stone and wood and an elaborate archway, above.

It would come as a shock anywhere but especially so in Neasden. It looked beautiful today in the sunshine with flags fluttering. There is airport style security to enter the temple and then shoes have to be removed. The most holy part is the Abhishek Mandap, a marble chamber with a murti (sacred image) of Shri Nilkanth Varni in gilded brass. Access was only for Hindus but we were allowed in a similar chamber upstairs.

I did not know about Nilkanth Varni, as he was born, and now known as Bhagwan Swaminarayan. A leaflet in the temple explains that “he left home aged eleven and embarked on an epic journey of spiritual awakening that took him around India, into Nepal and Tibet and through Burma and Bangladesh. He walked barefooted and alone for almost 8,000 miles over seven years, blessing the land and liberating numerous spiritual aspirants along the way. Carrying no maps, no food and no money, he crossed raging rivers, faced ferocious animals, and survived the freezing winter of the Himalayas. His solitary journey is a story of courage, kindness and enlightenment”.

What is so interesting is that he did not live long ago. He was born on 3rd April 1781 in Uttar Pradesh. His pilgrimage started when both his parents died. By 1799 he was ready to settle down in Gujarat and by the time he died in 1830 was regarded as a physical manifestation of God. The Bible brings Christ’s life alive but for me it can be a struggle to understand it in the light of Judaism and the Roman Empire. Nilkanth was living under the Raj – and apparently had a good relationship with the British rulers – when the Duke of Wellington was fighting in Mysore against Tipu Sultan.

Abhishek is the ancient Hindu practice of pouring water over the sacred image of God to honour him and to attain his blesssings. It also is an opportunity for devotees to pray to God, asking him to cleanse one’s soul. Abhishek of the murti of Nilkanth is performed daily to the chanting of Vedic verses and takes about fifteen minutes.

Near the temple there is a school for pupils aged from four up to Sixth Form. Academic standards are extremely high, although we were told that pupils did not have to be especially intelligent to get a place. Across the road there is a supermarket and restaurant. As it was a Bank Holiday today the restaurant had a buffet; vegetarian and alcohol-free. What a good way to start the new year.