BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Southend-on-Sea celebrated its 20th anniversary with a joyous three-day festival, which saw more than 600 people participate.
Friday 31 May 2024 featured a special evening of devotional musical, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the gathering and set the scene for the weekend’s festivities.
Saturday 1 June 2024, the main day of the celebrations, hosted a colourful cultural programme. Hundreds enjoyed the devotional singing, dramas, multimedia presentations and inspiring talks from learned swamis and members of the congregation as they recollected key moments and memories from the last 20 years of the Mandir.
On Sunday 2 June 2024, a special prayer ceremony marked the momentous occasion of the 20th annniversary. Worshippers as well as community members of all ages and backgrounds from across Essex gathered at the Mandir to offer their prayers for peace and harmony.
Devotees also reminisced the auspicious day in 2004 when His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, creator of the internationally acclaimed Neasden Temple, performed the consecration ceremony of the murtis for the then new mandir in Southend-on-Sea.
Hiral Patel, one of the volunteers at the Mandir, shared, “It’s been wonderful coming together over these three days to acknowledge all the memories made over the past 20 years. It really reinforced the vital role of mandirs for our spiritual development, to preserve traditions, and to unite family, friends and communities as a whole. Here’s to many more wonderful decades ahead!”
The Mandir is the heart of the Hindu community in the East of England and has hosted weekly gatherings since it opened in 2004. Through faith, spirituality and universal values, the Mandir has helped elevate the lives of numerous individuals and families over the years.