LONDON, UK, November 9, 2007: Their Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London, on the afternoon of November 9, 2007, to participate in the celebrations of Diwali. After being welcomed in a traditional Indian manner, the Royal couple proceeded to the sanctum sanctorum where they offered flower petals at the central shrine and later also performed abhishek of the metallic murti of Shri Nilkanth Varni (Bhagwan Swaminarayan). Upon entering the assembly hall, the Prince and the Duchess each lighted an oil lamp to commemorate their presence on this auspicious day, and then participated in a symbolic Lakshmi Puja while BAPS children chanted Vedic prayers.
In his address to the assembly, His Royal Highness began by speaking of his “great privilege” of visiting the temple on this “tremendously auspicious occasion of Diwali… the most wonderful festival of light.” He specifically thanked BAPS volunteers for their “overwhelming warmth” on each of his previous visits to the Mandir – now totalling three – and felt especially touched for being allowed to participate in the sacred rituals, even joking about bringing his own account books to the temple so that they, too, could be “specially blessed.”
The Prince then went on to recollect fond memories of when he received His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj at St James’ Palace back in 1997, exactly ten years to the day. He recalled being “touched by [His Holiness’] humility and tremendous compassion for all living beings.” Throughout his address, The Prince repeatedly commended the “peace-loving and values-based Hindu community” in the UK, adding: “It is a remarkable and precious fact that Hinduism as a faith still touches upon every aspect of day-to-day lives – professions, culture and, most crucially, value systems…. All I can say is, long may it last in this era of frenetic change and short-term thinking.
“This quiet and industrious approach to life is reflected in your remarkable achievements in education, in business, the professions, and so many other fields. Some of you may feel that your huge contribution to the fabric of Britain is not fully recognised, but it is my belief that today, more than ever, your community is one of the most positive forces which helps to bind the country together, and I can only thank you most sincerely for this. It really is a remarkable contribution.”
His Royal Highness ended by wishing everyone a “Shubh Deepawali… and every possible success” in the year to come.
The full address can be heard here.
A full report of the visit with photographs is available at URL above.