BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London - stock photo

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London popularly known as the Neasden Temple is the first traditional Hindu temple in Europe. 2,820 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone and 2,000 tonnes of Italian Carrara marble were shipped to India, carved by over 1,500 craftsmen and reshipped to London. In all, 26,300 carved pieces were assembled like a giant jigsaw puzzle in less than 3 years. No iron or steel was used in the construction, a unique feature for a modern building in the UK. It is designed according to the Shilpa-Shastras, a Vedic text that develops Hindu architecture to metaphorically represent the different attributes of God. The Mandir was cited in Guinness World Records 2000 as the biggest Hindu Temple outside India.