Group Visits
"Absolutely magnificent and very peaceful. The ladies of the group thoroughly appreciated being able to touch and the verbal descriptions by the gentlemen guides. Thank you very much."
Jeane Penstone
Women’s Group Leader
Visually Impaired Group
Hillingdon, London
10 April 2012
"We thank you all for a very pleasant and illuminating day. We learned such a lot and the speaker was excellent in clear delivery, content and humour. We ended our visit with buffet lunch in the restaurant which we all enjoyed very much. Many thanks again for the kind hospitality we received from everyone at the Mandir. We send you all our love and best wishes."
Joan Clarke
The SE London HF Walking Group
21 February 2012
"On behalf of my group and myself I would like to express our thanks for making our visit to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir such an enjoyable experience. We were all made to feel very welcome and we greatly appreciated your patience in answering our many questions. We came away feeling that we had gained some insight and understanding of the Hindu faith. The Mandir is breathtakingly beautiful and is a testament to the skill of the craftsmen who worked on it and the devotion of all who assisted in the construction. Many thanks for making our day so enjoyable."
Pat Jones
Group Leader London Studies
Knole U3A
Sevenoaks, Kent
28 September 2011
"I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to all at the Mandir. The welcome and reception and also the excellent guides that showed us round and talked and explained every thing to the group. The ladies and gents that visited on the day were very impressed. We also visited the restaurant and shop and the service there was also very good and everyone was very happy. We had a very enjoyable day and hope to visit again."
Nermaljit Samra
B&ME Mental Health Community Development Worker
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust
27 September 2011
"Thank you so much for the guided tour I booked on the 12th June. The whole group loved the tour and found it very informative. We were all blown away by the temple and the spectacular carvings on the wood and marble and by the beautiful Aarti ceremony and exhibition. I would recommend a visit to everybody."
Tariq Khan
Assistant Organiser
Museums, Galleries and More
London
12 June 2011
"Thank you very much indeed for the warm welcome extended to our group from the NAWC [Northwood Area Women’s Club] on our visit last Tuesday. We all thoroughly enjoyed our morning: we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the building, impressed by the dignity and friendliness of everyone we encountered and pleased to leave having learned more about your faith. It was a most memorable occasion."
Julie Shelton
Secretary
Northwood Area Women’s Club
Northwood
5 April 2011
"A group of friends and myself travelled down to London from Cheshire on Sunday for a days sightseeing and decided to call in to see the Neesden Temple. We were not prepared for the beautiful Temple that presented itself to us, there are not many things that move me very deeply but to be greeted with the interior almost moved me to tears, we were privelaged to witness one of the services which was wonderfull. I speak on behalf of all my friends when I say that this trip was the highlight of our visit to London and is something that I will never forget for the rest of my life. I would like to thank everybody from the security people on the gate to the guides within the temple for their courtesy and helpfulness which made our visit so special."
George Smyth
8 March 2011
"Please extend sincere thanks to everyone who made our visit to the Mandir yesterday afternoon so memorable. English Heritage staff learnt a great deal about the construction and the work of the Mandir and we were very impressed by both the buildings themselves and the volunteers whom we met."
Mrs Diana Evans
Head of Places of Worship Advice
English Heritage
London
22 November 2010
"Thank you so much for welcoming us so kindly on Saturday.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is the most wonderful place. We will have an enduring memory of your wonderful marble temple with its superb carvings. So beautiful and so inspiring. We were amazed it was all made possible by volunteers. We very much enjoyed our visit and learnt so much from our guide and the film. Your museum is a revelation, and we were delighted to be able to attend your prayers.
Please pass on our thanks to everyone who made our visit so enjoyable.
With many thanks and very best wishes,"
Alice Sielle
Organiser
Belief in Bow
London
8 May 2010
"A well organised visit; we all came away with a deeper understanding of Hinduism. A really beautiful & peaceful place."
Janet Sole
Cultural Heritage Group Organiser
Potters Bar University of the Third Age
Potters Bar
27 January 2010
"Members commented on how clean everywhere was, including toilets. The food service in restaurant was lovely. We bought take-away for our husbands. We would definitely recommend this visit to other groups."
Mrs Patricia Poole
President
Chesham Bois Women’s Institute
Buckinghamshire
25 January 2010
"On behalf of the Guild of Registered Tour Guides I would like to thank everyone for giving us such a special day at the Mandir. We appreciated all your kindnesses and felt privileged to be introduced to the temple and its remarkable story as well as its contribution, not just to the Hindu community in London and beyond, but to us all. Thank you thank you!
We would also like to thank you for your tremendous hospitality; our lunch was delicious and hugely appreciated. As a token of our thanks, we will be sending you a donation from the Guild. Please thank the catering manager, (whose name I have forgotten but he was simply wonderful) and to all the excellent staff in the restaurant and kitchens. We had a superb meal – an unforgettably good meal.
Thank you again and we will all tell our visitors about the Mandir – not just about the beautiful building but also its influence for the good in our community.
With very best wishes and real appreciation"
Philippa Owen
Member of the committee
Guild of Professional Tourist Guides
London
18 November 2009
"Thank you for arranging the visit to the Mandir for our Confirmation Group last Saturday. Our host was Girish Patel. He was warm and welcoming and very well informed. He was a wonderful example to our young people of someone committed to his faith in a way that was loving and respectful of others and he encouraged them to be the same in their Catholicism. They all came away full of enthusiasm about their visit."
Canon Pat Browne
Parish Priest
Holy Apostles Parish Group
Pimlico
31 October 2009
"We have just returned from our visit to your beautiful temple and I felt I had to write straight away to say how much we enjoyed the trip. We were very moved to experience a service and all felt the peace and serenity in the exquisite building. Many, many thanks on behalf of all our party from the Guildford United Reforms Church in Guildford."
Diana Ferguson
Guildford United Reformed Church
Guildford
5 July 2008
"Thank you very much for assisting in our visit to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir yesterday. The entire group enjoyed the visit and thought it most calming and enlightening. All are now keen to promote the temple to visitors to the local area.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to experience this venue."
Catherine Knight
London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
London
25 July 2007
"Thank you, on behalf of Wendover U3A, for such an interesting visit to the Temple on 11 July. We were very moved by the Arti ceremony and must congratulate you on the presentation and exhibition.
Some of our members have indicated that they would like to visit again independently!"
Veronica Lockett
Wendover U3A
Bucks
11 July 2007
"I just wanted to drop you a line to thank everyone at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir for the welcome we received and for showing us around on Friday. I and all of my team found the visit to be thoroughly interesting and felt the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was absolutely amazing.
Could you please pass on our thanks to everyone we met there on Friday for taking the time and effort showing us around and making us feel so welcome."
David Diggins
Warrants & Detections Team
Wembley Police Station
15 June 2007
"I am writing to thank you for the warm and generous welcome you extended to me and the other visitors from Richmond last week.
Your magnificent temple in a landmark in London, easily sitting alongside other cultural religious icons such as Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Visits such as ours help to breakdown barriers, while building relationships and bridges, as well as fostering understanding and respect. I was particularly touched to be able to participate in your ceremony of pouring holy water.
I hope we can visit again."
Councillor Marc Cranfield-Adams
Mayor
London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames
Twickenham
07 June 2007
"I would like to thank you, Dr IP Patel and the Trustees for arranging the visit of our members on Wednesday last. Although, for a variety of personal reasons, our numbers were not as large as I had hoped, those of us who experienced the tour were delighted and enthralled by the magnificence of the Mandir and the Haveli and the total spirituality which embraced all of us.
Your friendship in welcoming us and the sharing of knowledge of the Hindu faith and the background to the creation of the Temple in Neasden opened our eyes.
I am grateful to you, also, for the photograph of our party which I have just received as I was about to write to you.
We carried away with us treasured memories of our visit and I know most of our members will want to come again – as will those who, regrettably, missed out on this occasion."
Len Snow
London Labour Mayors’ Association
London
21 March 2007
"Just a note to say how much our group of home educated children (and the parents!) enjoyed their visit to the Mandir today. Everything was beautifully presented and you were all so welcoming, it was a joy to be with you. We were glad we went into the exhibition which was both eye-catching and informative. Please pass on our thanks to all your staff and volunteers for all they did to make our visit comfortable and enjoyable."
Helen Burnett
The Home Educators
Surrey
28 February 2007
"Seventeen people from our group The Berkshire Environmental Association visited the Temple on Saturday 17th February. Thank you for organizing our visit to the Temple so efficiently; everything went very smoothly. We were greeted on arrival and our guide could not have been more helpful, welcoming and knowledgeable. He answered our many questions competently and patiently. We viewed a video about the building of the temple and saw the amazing haveli prayer hall and were privileged to attend a service. The exhibition gave us an insight into the history and development of Hinduism. There was a lady in a wheelchair in our party who was well catered for. One of our group broke her spectacles, and the members of staff in the shop were most helpful using cellotape and glue to repair them, thus enabling her to drive home. The members of our group found the visit interesting and informative and I would certainly recommend it unreservedly to others.
Thank you once again for your hospitality and helpfulness."
Carole Hickman
The Berkshire Environmental Association
Berkshire
17 February 2007
"I write on behalf of the association to express our gratitude to you for your very kind attention to us last Saturday. The members were all agreed that the visit was extremely enlightening and most enjoyable. We were amazed at the temple, the sacrifice and dedication that enabled its construction and through these examples you gave us a very clear picture of the importance of the Hindu Faith.
We feel that the world “International Community” has much to learn from Hinduism.
We certainly learned a great deal and I am sure that many of our group will visit again and hopefully bring others. I know that I will come again!"
Sandra Dorsett-Bailey
The Wall Hall Field Group
Herts
2 February 2006
"I am just writing this letter to thank you for a very welcoming way and hospitability that you provided to our group (over 55 group) on Thursday 1st December 2005.
We all appreciate what you did for us on that day. All the women really enjoyed the day; the Mandir was very nice and clean. This is the first time to see such a nice place and huge in middle of London.
Our entire group again sent many thanks to you for every thing the Mandir did for us. Thank you for the calendar you gave to the group and for the very good care for the whole group."
Intlak Al Saiegh
Al-Manaar
The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre
London
5 December 2005
"I am writing on behalf of the members of the London Appreciation Society to say how very much they enjoyed their visit. I am sure you’ll be pleased to know the visit gained top marks equalling excellence, so we do thank you for making it so successful."
Eric Blackham
The London Appreciation Society
20 Dickensons Lane,
Woodside Green
London
SE25 5HJ
22 June 2005
"The students very much enjoyed your talk and the chance to ask you questions. All in all they had a very rewarding and interesting morning, which gave them an insight into Hinduism that they could not have got just from reading their textbooks."
Dr. Hugh Beattie
Open University
25 Worts Causeway
Cambridge
CB1 8RJ
15 June 2005
"On behalf of the LRAC, may I thank you for the warmth and hospitality extended to our students during our visit to the Mandir on 11 May. We were all stunned by the beauty of the carving."
Barry James
London Region Arts Club
29 Ludgate Hill
London
EC4M 7JE
23 May 2005
"I am writing to thank you and your colleagues for all you did to make our visit to Neasden Temple pleasant and memorable. Our diverse group of 28 participants found the visit to Neasden Mandir informative, interesting, full of new experiences, enlightening and knowledgeable."
Ashi Dhillon
Ethnic Minority Advocacy Group
111A Kneller Road, Whitton, Twickenham
Middlesex
TW2 7DT
27th April 2005
"I came to visit the temple a week ago with a few of my friends from my own Catholic Church. We were interested to get to know about other religions. We thought your temple was absolutely beautiful and everyone made us feel very welcome."
Andrea Grace
25 April 2005
"Our group marvelled at the splendour of the Mandir and the organisation supporting this unique venture. We were able to get a small insight in to Hinduism and we came away much wiser than we when we arrived. I cannot finish this letter without saying that all of the people we spoke to gave us a very warm welcome and assistance. The whole experience was uplifting and left a marked respect for your religion."
Ken Budd
West Worthing Probus Club
2 Beach Crescent
West Sussex
BN17 5NT
15 April 2005
"It’s always a pleasure to visit the Temple and this occasion was no exception. We had a really interesting morning and especially enjoyed the Arti ceremony. We do appreciate your giving up time to speak to us and make us so welcome and also for answering so many questions. Please thank everyone at the Temple for their kindness. I hope to bring another group to visit later this year."
Sylvia Sheridan
Community Events Coordinator
Southgate & District Reform Synagogue
120 Oakleigh Road North
Whetstone
London
N20 9EZ
12 April 2005
"I am writing to say thank you for our recent study visit to the Mandir, and to say how much my students enjoyed and appreciated the tour. They particularly commented on how enjoyable and informative the talk by our guide was. Naturally, they were also very struck by the beauty of the building itself."
Dr. Paul Hedges
Herstmonceux Castle International Study Centre
Queen’s University (Canada)
Hailsham, East Sussex
BN27 1RN
East Sussex
19 March 2005
"I am writing to say how much my group enjoyed their visit to the temple today. Your welcome, kindness and attention were all greatly appreciated."
Mrs. Julia Durbin
Walton-on-the-Hill Decorative & Fine Arts Society
Rutland House
16 Cheyham Way
Cheam
Surrey
SM2 7HX
9 March 2005
"Our group had a wonderful visit to your temple yesterday. We were honoured to be part of the puja ceremonies, and found the exhibition on Hinduism fascinating and enlightening. We also thank all your staff who were so friendly and welcoming."
Elizabeth Riminton
Interfaith Seminary Group from Sussex
C/o. The Light House, Beaconsfield Road,
Chelwood Gate, Sussex
RH17 7LF
7 March 2005
"Just to say how much we appreciated our visit to your Temple on Saturday. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. As a group of Christians, we can see what a wonderful man your leader is, and your way of life is a great impact to the people. Thank you for building a wonderful Temple in London. Perhaps, through it, more people will come and share your way of life."
Miss M Soulby
Tour Organiser
95 Old Park Avenue
Enfield
EN2 6PN
January 2005