This week at Willows Pre-School we have been learning about ourselves and our families, cultures, and countries. As part of this topic, we have taken a trip to Neasden Temple! A beautiful Mandir in north London.
While it is commonly known as Neasden Temple, the actual name of this stunning temple is BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. “It stands a masterpiece of traditional Hindu design and exquisite workmanship that rises serenely amid London’s iconic skyline, in continuation of the millennia-old Hindu tradition of worshipping the Divine through murtis (sacred images)”.
The staff welcomed the children into the Mandir to learn a bit about its history and the Hindu religion. The children took their shoes off to enter the temple and watched a short clip on how the temple was built, with 26,400 marble pieces! They learnt about the intricate carvings on the walls and pillars as well as learning a little bit about the beliefs of Hindu people.
The children from Hammersmith Nursery were invited to watch a prayer in the temple. They were very respectful and sat quietly to watch people singing and chanting. Some children even joined in with the clapping. Once the prayers had come to an end, the children explored the outside of the temple in its beautiful gardens and found a very large statue of an elephant! Throughout their walk the children engaged in a range of conversations about what they had learnt from the video in the temple and the prayers, talking with staff to reinforce their understanding of all the information they had been given.
The children were amazed by the beautiful elephant statue, adorned with gold and decorations, they all wanted to have their pictures taken with it.
When leaving the temple, the children were very kindly given a poster of the temple and some bracelets. These bracelets are to celebrate the festival Raksha Bandhan. A festival that celebrates is a popular Hindu festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. The children came back to the nursery to share their experience with their friends and teachers back at nursery. Explaining all they had seen and learnt as well as showing the photos they had taken of their trip.
