London, January 12 (IANS). Lok Sabha Speaker Om Prakash Birla visited the famous BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple in London. It is also known as Neasden Temple. Om Birla’s visit on January 11 was part of his official UK tour, organized at the invitation of House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.
Mr Birla was welcomed in the traditional Hindu manner at the temple. This welcome was given by the saints of the temple on behalf of the spiritual guru Mahant Swami Maharaj of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.
During the tour, Om Birla paid sacred darshan of the temple and performed the anointing of the idols. They were briefed about the remarkable work BAPS is doing in India and the inspiring developments taking place in the UK and Europe, including the new BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir being built in Paris, France.
In February 2022, a team of Indian MPs led by Birla visited the construction site of the BAPS temple being built in Abu Dhabi. In the same year, Om Birla met Mahant Swami Maharaj at Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi.
On this occasion, Om Birla said, “This temple not only inspires spirituality, religion and culture, but also inspires service to humanity. BAPS organization worked to spread Indian religion and culture in the world.”
BAPS UK Trustee Sanjay Kara said, “We are grateful to Om Birla for visiting the temple amid his busy schedule. This was a proud moment for us and also an opportunity to further strengthen the relationship between India and the UK.”
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is an international spiritual organization recognized by the United Nations. Its aim is to bring spiritual, cultural and social upliftment in the world. There are more than 80,000 volunteers and 5,025 centers associated with this organization, which serve lakhs of people.
Under the leadership of Mahant Swami Maharaj, BAPS strives to create a society that is based on peace, harmony and morality. This institution is based on the teachings of the Vedas and the ideology of Lord Swaminarayan (1781-1830). Also, it is inspired by the inspiration of Swami Maharaj (1921-2016), who taught: “Our happiness lies in the happiness of others.”
In the UK, BAPS is considered one of the largest and active Hindu communities. Neasden Temple is internationally renowned and is an important part of BAPS’s identity.
–IANS
AS/
