I visited this temple in Neasden a few years ago, but today I am introducing my friend Denzil to it.
The cloakroom where one is to leave ones bags (free of charge) is in the car park across the road from the temple. You are given a pink slip in return. Do not lose this. Finding the correct gate for entrance took more than one attempt. Upon entry one is very politely searched and then to leave ones shoes in the allotted shoe cabinet. The meander around the temple is to be done in ones socks, which is a strangely comfortable experience.
It is a truly beautiful building. A huge elaborately carved temple of white marble standing proud in the otherwise drearily grey district. It was completed in 1995 and was funded entirely by volunteers and well-wishers. It is free to visit, barring the Hindu exhibition, which is a mere £2 to enter and is well worth a look. There is a lot to learn and the 'galaxy tunnel ceiling' upon entry is worth it alone.
The exhibition opens with some core Indian history. Apparently they had fathomed the 'revolution of the the earth' thing 1000 years before Copernicus, were the inventors of the number 'zero' and decimalisation and their mother tongue of Sanskrit (which goes to show what I know. I thought Sanskrit was Arabian) has no less than 70 words for 'water' alone.
True? Possibly. Another thing about the Hindu faith is that it abhors 'pride' so feasibly - to me at least - they could well have rivalled the ancient Greeks and Egyptians but simply been overshadowed by the other empires self adulation.
A video describes the history and architectural process of bringing the temple together (each pieces was ornately carved in India by Hindu architects before shipping to England. Not a single piece was lost or broken) before the exhibition opens up into a room dedicated to the faith itself.
The temple upstairs is ostensibly closed until the next session of worship which will be at 4pm, but we are allowed to pootle upstairs and take a looksie. It's a stunning room of white intricately carved marble - floor, ceiling and columns. The walls are ornately carved from Burmese teak - a wood used in the original Indian Havelis (English Oak was used for the load bearing areas)
Only wood and stone was used to build this temple. No iron or steel.
Photos of Hindu statues are placed next to the ornately carved doors in the surrounding walls, to indicate the statues that would be openly displayed for worship during the correct hours. These statues are each 'infused with the spirit of god' upon creation and so are each ready to receive prayer.
Attendants are all polite and eager to help. On more than one occasion one approached after hearing me query something with my companion in order to more fully answer my enquiry or invite me to take a look at the apparently closed room.
There is also a gift kiosk on the way out. This girl is budgeting at the moment so did not even hazard a walk around it, but the smell of incense upon departure is always a pleasant and welcome one.
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