‘Pilgrimage’ pays tribute to BAPS spiritual leaders
MORE than 600 people of all ages took part last weekend in a special pilgrimage by foot or smruti pad yatra, to mark the centennial birth anniversary celebrations of the late spiritual leader, His Holiness Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, and to mark the 88th birthday of current leader HH Mahant Swami Maharaj.
It was organised by the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, north London, last Sunday (3) and participants walked a distance of 13.5 miles to visit historic and sanctified places. They set off from Alexandra Palace in north London, where, in 1974, a gathering of almost 4,000 devotees and a Royal Air Force musical band honoured HH Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj on his first visit to the UK as the head of the BAPS. A decade later, in 1985, a month-long ‘Cultural Festival of India’, inspired and attended by HH Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, was also held at the venue.
Next up on the walk was 77 Elmore Street in Islington, where HH Pujya Yogiji Maharaj inaugurated the first BAPS mandir in the UK, and one of the UK’s first Hindu mandirs, on June 14, 1970.
The walkers also visited Dollis Hill, where HH Pujya Yogiji Maharaj stayed during his visit to London in 1970, before arriving at the old Neasden Hari Mandir, the site opposite the current BAPS Neasden Temple. It was inaugurated by HH Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 1982. Participants concluded their journey at the first shikharbaddha mandir outside India, opened by HH Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 1995.
It took around four and a half hours to complete the walk as participants recalled memories of BAPS’s history in London, which were shared with young people.
Keyur Bhatt, one of the lead volunteers who helped organise the walk, said, “HH Pujya Yogiji Maharaj and HH Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj have given so much to London and the UK. Their tireless efforts have laid the foundations for Hindu values and culture to be embedded and celebrated here in the UK. This walk has given us all an opportunity to commemorate their hard work. We were also inspired by the blessings of Mahant Swami Maharaj who reflected on his own memories and encouraged us all to immerse ourselves in this unique and rich history.”