Myth in the City

I was back in London again this past weekend (this time for Saturday's peace march), and on our way out of the city on Sunday we stopped by one of London's most beautiful, unusual, and myth-filled sites:  the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the largest traditional Hindu temple outside of India.

The mandir rises like a white dream palace above the unprepossessing streets of London's Neasden neighborhood, built of 5,000 tons of Italian marble and Bulgarian limestone, hand-carved into 26,300 pieces by 1,526 skilled craftsmen. The walls, pillars, ceilings and floors of the temple are enriched by carvings, tiles, paintings and rugs depicting the mythology and sacred beliefs of a people whose faith dates back over 8,500 years. Stepping through the mandir's doors is like stepping into a place that exists outside of time, where ancient stories and modern life come seamlessly together. The city streets seem a million miles away as one sits barefoot, deep in the silence, on the carpet beneath the temple's great dome, surrounded by men, women, and children deep in meditation and prayer.

 

"From conception to completion," the temple's website explains, "the Hindu ethos for building a mandir requires that nature is appeased through various rites performed during the different stages of mandir construction. The ritual of Khatmuhurt involves the paying of homage to the land and using prayers to seek permission of the earth to disturb its natural state for construction. For the ritual of Shilanyas, the foundations are dug and below the garbhagruha a small pot containing sacraments is ceremonially placed. This creates an awareness that nature is a dynamic ecosystem and man is to live harmoniously with other life forms.

"The Hindu mathematician sees within the design a complex pattern of mathematics and geometrics that link the mandir to the universe and its component stars, planets and galaxies. Underneath the intricate artistic sculpture lies a foundation of regular shapes. The birth of geometry and numeracy arose from the need to build mandirs of perfect proportions. Traditionally, all the masonry of such a mandir is loadbearing in itself, with no reinforcement from ferrous metals such as steel in its foundation or structure. The cantilevered dome is believed to be the only one in Britain that does not use steel or lead, for ferrous metals concentrate the earth's magnetic field, which would impede meditation."

In addition to the prayer hall and cultural center, the mandir contains an extensive exhibition on the history of Hinduism, introducing visitors to one of the world's most ancient cosmologies, full of wonderful stories of gods and goddesses, of spiritual leaders and ascetics, and of captivating heroes such as Hanuman (the monkey deity)  and Ganesh (the jolly elephant-headed god, remover of obstacles).   

"Mandir is a Sanskrit word for where the mind becomes still and the soul floats freely to seek the source of life, peace, joy, and comfort," the temple guide explains. "For centuries, mandirs have been a center of life for the Indian people -- a common community place where people forget their differences and voluntarily unite to serve society." To learn more about the mandir in London (including a calendar of temple festivals and events), visit the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir website.  For more information on the Hindu faith and its traditional stories, visit the Hinduism Today, Hinduism. and Sanatan Society websites.

 

Comments

[Chris]

Wow! That temple is gorgeous. I'd love to see it. I collect Eastern art and have quite a few statues of many of the Hindu gods. I've always found their art and mythology to be so intriguing.

[Gypsy Purple--Chamara]

What amazing architecture!!!

[holiwishes]

This is absolutely wonderful...thanks for posting these amazing photos...and as the festival of colors is also coming up just drop by my blog on Holi Greetings and enjoy the true spirit of this festival!!!