Here is a report on how the Prince of Wales & Duchess Of Cornwall celebrated
Diwali:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Prince_Charles_Camilla_celebrate_Diwali_in_UK/articleshow/2532035.cms
Here is the image gallery:
http://tinyurl.com/yu5w3z
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, added colour to the
Diwali celebrations in Britain by visiting Shri Swaminarayan temple and
participating in a symbolic 'Laxmi Puja' ceremony. Yogvivek Swami, the head
priest at the temple in Neasden, greeted the Prince on Friday in the
traditional Indian way with a garland. Female members of the temple welcomed
The Duchess with a 'tilak' on her forehead. The Royal couple then proceeded to
the sanctum sanctorum where they offered flowers at the central shrine. Both
spent several minutes witnessing the intricate architecture of the temple.
After meeting temple volunteers, the Royal couple made their way into the
prayer hall where they were greeted with rapturous applause, musical fanfare
and waving of flags. They performed 'abhishek' of Shri Nilkanth Varni before
being escorted to the Haveli foyer to have a view of the building's
architecture. The Prince and the Duchess each lighted a 'diya' in Haveli to
commemorate
their presence on the auspicious day of Diwali. After receiving garlands, they
participated in a symbolic 'Chopda Pujan' (Laxmi Puja) ceremony while the
children chanted Verdic hymns. This was followed by a dance. Prince Charles, in
his address, spoke of his 'great privilege' of visiting the temple on this
"auspicious occasion of Diwali, the most wonderful festival of light." He
specifically thanked the temple volunteers for their "overwhelming warmth" on
his two previous visits to the temple in 1996 and in 2001, and felt especially
touched on being allowed to participate in the sacred rituals this time, even
joking about bringing his own account books to the temple so that they, too,
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