Amidst this spiritual feelings inside and the chanting of the Vedic hymn, hundreds of people performed Satyanarayan Puja at the Balaji temple, which is the second biggest Balaji temple after Tirupati in India, on the occasion of Makar Sakranti day. More than 100 couple had booked the puja and hundreds of other people participated in the joint puja in the temple conducted by pundits of South India. A group of 20 members of the Nepalese Hindu Forum UK (NHFUK) also attended the puja in the temple. About 3,000 devotees visit the temple every week, according to the temple officials. The temple is set with a number of different shrines and other facilities and it has grown over a 10-year period to become physically the largest South Indian temple precinct in Europe.
Religious places are for all- irrespective of their colour and creeds. Religion should be like the definition of democracy by Abraham Lincoln who defines democracy “for the people, by the people and of the people.” So is religion. And religious place of any faiths should generate that feelings inside human beings- the feelings of compassion, friendship and love and only that can ensures the safety of our universe. In this context, the temple burgeons spiritual feelings even entering the temple premise which is located in a beautiful area with green faith hills created with the feeling of promoting friendship and understanding among the religions. This is one of the attractions of the temple complex that includes seven Faith hills created to represent seven major faiths in the United Kingdom. Lord Buddha's statue, carved by a local sculptor, was installed on one of the hills in May 2001.
Christianity faith hills was laid by Arch Bishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams in 2008 bears a plaque with an inscription “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself.” The temple has set aside the hills devoting to different religious faiths including Judaism, Jain, Shikh, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism in accordance with the great Hindu tradition of tolerance, fraternity and brotherhood and respect to other beliefs.
Though Hindus respect other faiths and some sects even pray and worship the Gods of other faiths, this is most probably the first temple to give space to other religious faiths presenting a clear illustration of great Hindu tradition of tolerance and friendship.
After the puja, Indian origin children and students of School for Vedic heritage run by the temple, read the story of Satyanarayan giving life to the great Hindu scriptures which were passed from one generation to another for centuries.
The temple runs a School for Vedic heritage which organizes a weekly Sunday school for children between the ages of 5 and 12 in order to ensure the best possible teaching, understanding and practice of Hindu Dharma and values.
"The aims of this school are to preserve and promote Sanathana Dharma, to inspire children and provide an opportunity for them to learn about their rich heritage, to develop a positive personality based on physical, spiritual and mental development and to create an environment where children learn, enjoy, make friends and learn new skills," according to the temple.
In order to gain a broad understanding and an appreciation of this vast field of knowledge, various scriptures and epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharatha,Shrimad Bhagavad-Gita , Bhagavatha Purana and the moral values, Bhakthi, Prayer, Worship and Pooja, Hindu Rituals in their historic context and their relevance today are taught in the school. The way of righteous living, known in Sanskrit as Sanatan Dharma is timeless and eternal and it is the foundation stone and a guiding light for every aspect of living, including one’s conduct in life, pursuit of knowledge and its objectives.
Chairman of the temple Dr N. Rao shed light in detail to the Nepalese Hindu Forum members about the construction of the temple. The plan of inaugurating the temple by then king Birendra of Nepal, the only Hindu Kingdom of the world ( but now Nepal is a republic and secular state) could not materialize due to his assassination in the mysterious massacre in the Narayanhity royal palace in June 2001. The reverence to Nepal, where over 80 percent of the population is Hindus, is still there to the Hindus all over the world.
One of the founders, Dr K Somasundara Rajah said: "We used to have the use of another temple but then the congregation got bigger and in 1974 some of our group thought we should get our own temple. We said we should build a replica of the Tarupati Temple in South India which is situated in The Tirumala Hill in Andhra Pradesh. The temple covers an area of about 10.33 square miles. Like seven faith hills in Balaji temple in UK, there are seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Aadisesha which we can read in our scriptures as Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri, and Venkatadri. The temple is on Venkatadri, known as the Temple of Seven Hills.
It is said that Dr Rajah and Dr Narayan Rao among others have spent 30 years planning the temple which is one of the most sacred sites in the Hindu tradition. This initiative will definitely help not only promote and preserve rich Hindu cultures and tradition but also create harmony, goodwill and friendship and peace among different religious communities in the United Kingdom and present an example for others around the globe.
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