Hundreds gathered at East Barnet School at the weekend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Neasden. Events have been underway to celebrate this auspicious date since August and Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, was one of the people invited along by BAPS Finchley to an event at East Barnet School on Sunday evening.
BAPS stands for Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a major organisation in the Swarminarayan branch of Hinduism. The Neasden temple is one of the largest in Europe and regularly attracts thousands of devotees to its major festivals. It was founded, built and run as a result of work by volunteers and charitable donations.
Following the celebrations, Theresa Villiers said "I thank BAPS Finchley for inviting me to share their celebration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Neasden Swaminarayan temple. The Hindu community are a much valued part of our diverse borough and it is right that we celebrate the huge effort that went into establishing the Neasden temple."
"Without the efforts of thousands of volunteer helpers and donors, the temple would never have been built. I have visited the temple on a number of occasions and I am always impressed to hear of its important cultural and educational programmes as well as the work it does to support members of the Hindu community who are in need."