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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden (also commonly known as the Neasden Temple), is a Hindu temple in the London Borough of Brent in northwest London, England. Built entirely using traditional methods and materials, Neasden’s Swaminarayan Mandir has been described as being Britain’s first authentic Hindu temple.〔Spirit of suburbia by Adam Hardy in Perspectives on Architecture – November 1995 Issue 19, Vol. 2 – p. 42 to p. 47〕 It was also Europe’s first traditional Hindu stone temple, as distinct from converted secular buildings. It is a part of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) organization and was inaugurated on August 20, 1995 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The Mandir was cited in ''Guinness World Records 2000'',〔"Biggest Hindu Temple Outside India" – http://www.mandir.org/awards&opinions/Buildings%20and%20structures.htm〕 as follows: However, it has now been surpassed in size by other BAPS temples elsewhere. The mandir was built and funded entirely by the Hindu community. The entire project spanned five years although the Mandir construction itself was completed in two and a half years. Building work began in August 1992. On 24 November 1992, the temple recorded the biggest-ever concrete-pour in the UK, when 4,500 tons was put down in 24 hours to create a foundation mat 6 ft (1.8m) thick. The first stone was laid in June 1993; two years later, the building was complete.〔The Eventful 20th Century – 70 Wonders of the Modern World by The Reader’s Digest Association Limited – p. 124 to p. 125〕 The Neasden Temple complex consists of: * A traditional Hindu temple (mandir), constructed mainly from hand-carved Italian Carrara marble and Bulgarian limestone. The temple is the focal point of the complex * A permanent exhibition entitled ‘Understanding Hinduism’ * A cultural centre, known as the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Haveli, designed in traditional Gujarati haveli architecture, housing an assembly hall, gymnasium, bookshop, and offices. ==The Mandir== The Mandir is the focal point of the complex. Designed according to the Shilpa-Shastras,〔(Hindu Temple (Shri Swaminarayan Mandir) - Places to Go in London - Visit London )〕 a Vedic text that develops Hindu architecture to metaphorically represent the different attributes of God, it was constructed almost entirely from Indian marble, Italian marble, Sardinian granite and Bulgarian limestone. No iron or steel was used in the construction, a unique feature for a modern building in the UK. From the conceptual design and vision of Pramukh Swami, the architect C. B. Sompura and his team created the mandir entirely from stone. It is a shikharbaddha (or pinnacled) mandir: seven tiered pinnacles topped by golden spires crowd the roofline, complemented by five ribbed domes. The temple is noted for its profusely carved cantilevered central dome, believed to be the only one in Britain that does not use steel or lead. Inside, serpentine ribbons of stone link the columns into arches, creating a sense of levitation.〔 Light cream Vartza limestone from Bulgaria was chosen for the exterior, and for the interior, Italian Carrara marble supplemented by Indian Ambaji marble.〔 The Bulgarian and Italian stone were shipped to the port of Kandla in Gujarat, where most of the carving was eventually completed, by over 1,500 craftsmen in a workshop specially set up for the project.〔 More than 26,300 individually numbered stones pieces which were shipped back to London,〔Reader’s Digest – November 1996 edition – Neasden’s Eighth Wonder of the World – Ian Pindar〕 and the building was assembled like a giant three-dimensional jigsaw. The Mandir was inaugurated on 20 August 1995 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Brent Council )〕 the spiritual leader of BAPS – the organisation behind the temple. The entire Mandir complex represents an act of faith and collective effort. Inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, more than 1,000 volunteers worked on the building, and many more contributed and solicited donations, or organised sponsored walks and other activities; children raised money by collecting aluminium cans and foil for recycling.〔Eventful 20th Century – 70 Wonders of the Modern World by The Reader’s Digest Association Limited – p. 124 to p. 125〕 The Mandir serves as the centre of worship. Directly beneath each of the seven pinnacles seen from the outside is a shrine. Each of these seven shrines houses murtis (sacred images of the Deities) within altars. Each murti is revered like God in person and devoutly attended to each day by the sadhus (monks) who live in the temple ashram. Beneath the Mandir is the permanent exhibition ‘Understanding Hinduism’. Through 3-D dioramas, paintings, tableaux and traditional craftwork, it provides an insight into the wisdom and values of Hinduism. Visitors can learn about the origin, beliefs and contribution of Hindu seers, and how this ancient religion is being practiced today through traditions such as the BAPS Swaminarayan Sampraday. The Mandir is open to people of all faiths and none. Entrance is free, except to the ‘Understanding Hinduism’ exhibition where there is a £2 fee. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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