London, 30 October (H.S.): King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, popularly known as the Neasden Temple, on Wednesday to participate in its 30th-anniversary celebrations. The visit, their first to the temple as King and Queen, also coincided with the recent festivals of Diwali and the Hindu New Year.

Upon their arrival at Europe’s first traditional Hindu stone temple, the royal couple were greeted with a nadachadi, a sacred thread-tying ceremony, and were adorned with floral garlands. After removing their shoes, they toured the ornate, hand-carved complex and observed an abhishek, a spiritual offering ceremony. The King also wished the congregation a belated Happy Diwali.

During the visit, Head Priest Sadhu Yogvivekdas Swami highlighted the comfort, encouragement and genuine friendship the King has shown the temple community over his many visits, which date back to his time as the Prince of Wales. The spiritual leader of BAPS, Mahant Swami Maharaj, sent a video message from India, praising the King for his commitment to interfaith harmony.

The King and Queen also learned about the temple’s extensive charitable work, including its partnership with The Felix Project, a food redistribution charity, and were shown a model of a new BAPS temple currently under construction in Paris.

Opened in August 1995, the Neasden Temple is a renowned landmark of Indian craftsmanship, built from marble and limestone carved in India and assembled in London without any structural steel.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar