HUNDREDS of devotees took part in celebrations to inaugurate a BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Wellingborough, Northants, last month.
Amid ancient Vedic chanting, senior BAPS sadhu (Dr) Swayamprakash Swami, who travelled to England from India for the occasion, presided over the ceremonies. The murti-pratishtha vidhi (invocation ceremony) was performed in accordance with ancient Hindu scriptures.
The mandir has been built on a site where the previous BAPS mandir – consecrated by His Holiness Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 1977- once stood.
Among those attending the event on August 23 were the Mayor of Wellingborough and senior police officers.
A day before the inauguration, a Vedic mahapuja was performed in the morning. Devotees and well-wishers offered their prayers for peace and well-being of the local community.
In the afternoon, dozens of people sang songs and danced as they took part in a grand nagar yatra (ceremonial procession) through the streets of the town. Idols of deities to be enshrined in the new mandir were placed on decorated floats.
In the evening, a special cultural programme was organised in the temple’s new assembly hall where young devotees performed dances, dramas and bhajans.
The new mandir will serve as the hub of spiritual and community services for BAPS in the Northants region.
