Rt. Hon. Jack Straw, British Home secretary declared his visit to Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London on Thursday 31 Aug 2000 as 'Interesting' and 'Uplifting' After a traditional welcome by Santos and Trustees of The Swaminarayan Hindu Mission, Mr. Straw was led to the main temple shrines to adore the beautiful images and stone carvings. He then viewed the Understanding Hinduism exhibition where he was impressed on learning of the contribution of Hinduism and Indian culture to the world. Following this, the Home Secretary was taken around the Cultural Complex and Haveli before attending an internal meeting with trustees of the Mission. He ended with a short address to the community in which he expressed his feeling: " I reflect on the endeavor and commitment of the community which has created this temple - the largest of its kind outside India all in a space of 2.5 years, earning its place in the 'Guinness Book of Records.'
Rt. Hon Jack Straw congratulated all those involved in the temple and the neighbouring Swaminarayan School for their contribution to the community and looked forward to his forthcoming trip to India in which he will be visiting another creation of His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj - the Akshardham monument in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.