Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday 8 September 2022 after serving the United Kingdom and 56 Commonwealth nations for 70 years with dignity, dedication and steadfast courage. She was 96.
On behalf of the worldwide BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu fellowship, swamis and devotees offered prayers at Neasden Temple in London and other mandirs around the UK.
Members of the congregations at all BAPS mandirs and centres in the UK will also join the country in remembrance and tribute during the weekend assemblies by offering prayers for Her Majesty’s departed soul, the Royal Family, the new sovereign His Majesty King Charles III, and the whole of the United Kingdom.
In addition, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj sent a personal letter of prayers and condolences to His Majesty The King.
Letter from His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj to His Majesty King Charles III
Your Majesty,
I write to you deeply saddened by the news of the passing of your mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of the worldwide BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu fellowship, our heartfelt prayers, condolences and sympathies are with you and the entire Royal Family at this most difficult time.
Her Majesty was respected and admired not only in the United Kingdom, but across the world. She was an inspirational monarch, who personified the values of service and public duty, guiding the United Kingdom and Commonwealth with dignity, courage and selfless dedication for 70 years.
I shall keep you and your family in my prayers to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj and all our Hindu deities and sages, to bless you all with solace, strength and unity during this period of unspeakable grief and sorrow.
I also offer my best wishes to you as Monarch and, above all, as a friend of the British Hindu community. I know you had met His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj and always spoke warmly of your visits to Neasden Temple in London and Swaminarayan Akshardham in Delhi as well as of the good work of the wider Hindu community in the UK and around the world. We remain immensely grateful for your gracious friendship, and hope this bond of mutual respect and goodwill will flourish ever stronger under your noble reign.
I, and all BAPS Hindus in the UK and globally, pray that you and the Queen Consort are able to serve the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for many years to come, with honour and fortitude, through peace and harmony, in continuation of the great, enduring legacy of your beloved mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
With innermost prayers,
Sadhu Keshavjivandas
(His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj)