BRADFORD, UNITED KINGDOM, May 25, 2007: The Queen was presented with a burgundy shawl–a perfect match to her outfit–after she opened a US$6 million Hindu temple in Bradford. The Queen was greeted by Swami Gopal Sharan Devacharya. The gift was presented after she unveiled a plaque at the Bradford Hindu Temple which will be one of the largest outside London once it opens later this summer. Local residents gathered outside to watch her arrive with the Duke of Edinburgh, as musicians played traditional pipe and drum music in the background. Before the visit, builders had to remove scaffolding from the building on Leeds Road as part of it has yet to be completed. The area outside the building was decorated with England flags.
The Queen toured the building and met fundraisers, community leaders and designers of the temple. She removed her black patent court shoes and wore white pumps when she visited the prayer room and a garland of lilac flowers was placed around her neck. Nine-year-old Dishaa Joshi, from Bronte House School in Apperley Bridge, near Bradford, also presented her with a bouquet of flowers. The Queen met with Manoj Bhardwaj, son of the president of the Hindu Cultural Society Baldev Krishnan Bhardwaj, community groups and project organizers in the temple’s meeting room. As she left the temple, the Queen met local children who were waiting outside.