Hinduism Study Day
After a 3-year gap, the RVE Department was delighted to, once again, spend the day at the Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden in the company of our wonderful Year 11 GCSE Religious Studies students and some of our Year 13 A Level students also. Students at GCSE and A Level study Hinduism as one of their core faiths and the opportunity to visit the centre of a thriving London Hindu community gave students a valuable opportunity to engage with devotees in an authentic way.
The mandir or Hindu temple is a structure which inspires awe and wonder in its visitors both from within and outside. The marble mandir is the largest Swaminarayan Mandir outside of India. Our students viewed a video of its construction; learning that the marble blocks themselves were transported from Bulgaria and Italy to the craftsmen in India as 1,400 blocks. Handcrafted sculptures and columns were then shipped to London, where thousand of volunteers constructed the giant jigsaw to create the temple we see today.
We were able to freely visit the marble mandir, viewing Hindus engaged in personal puja (worship); and giving our students pause to identify some of the many gods and goddesses they have studied over their RS courses. Our guide generously led us in a varied Q & A session, with our GCSE and A Level learners asking questions with confidence and respect, developing their understanding of a lived faith. Our visit to the mandir ended with our group taking part in a congregational puja known as arti – a form of worship led by the priest, using a 5-wicked lamp and a bell to offer devotion and light to the murtis or forms of God. A quick visit to the gift shop swelled the coffers of the mandir I’m sure, with our students purchasing gifts such as diva lamps, incense sticks, henna paste, murtis, jewellery etc.
Despite our teenagers taking full advantage of our comfort stops on our journeys, to take sustenance with their Burger Kings and KFCs, they still enjoyed the rare opportunity to have lunch is an authentic Indian sattvic restaurant at Neasden, the Shayona Restaurant. All food was vegetarian and our students enjoyed an all-you-can-eat Thali buffet, including a variety of traditional dishes. They were surprised to learn that Hindu curries do not contain any garlic or onion, since these pollute the breath – the same breath used to utter mantras to God.
Our students were delightful and a pleasure to spend the day with. We look forward to visiting again next year with our current Year 10s.
Mrs Perry-Phillips, Miss Rees, Miss Painter
