Hindu temple in London wins Pride of Place award

London, Mar 6 (UNI) Shree Swaminarayan temple at Naesden in London has been named the landmark of which its residents are most proud, in a national poll.

More than 2,300 residents voted for the north London temple to win the inaugural Pride of Place award. It is the biggest and first Hindu temple to be built in Europe.

The Britain-wide campaign saw 36,800 people voting online. Nine London councils participated in the poll, in which 10 landmarks were nominated from the city.

Communities Minister Parmjit Dhanda will present the award to the temple authorities today.

Mr Dhanda said, ''I have heard from many people about what a fantastically inspiring building the temple is, so it is not hard to understand why it generates such pride within the local community.'' More than 1,500 Indian craftsmen carved the 2,820 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone and 2,000 tonnes of Italian Carrara marble used in its construction.

The 26,300 carved pieces were then transported to London where they were assembled over a three-year period. The temple opened in 1995 and has attracted millions of visitors till date.

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