The next Open House London documentary offers a glimpse of Neasden Temple, a place of worship in northwest London that was built using ancient Hindu texts and 26,000 pieces of stone.
Filmed by Jim Stephenson, the documentary is one of nine videos that will feature on Dezeen throughout Open House London 2020 to shine a light on rarely published places in the capital.
Stone carvings outside Neasden Temple
In the video, tour guide and head monk Yogvivekdas Swami explains the story of the temple's design, which was dictated by ancient texts called the Vastu Shastra.
The Vastu Shastra, which translates as "science of architecture", is a traditional Indian system of architecture that incorporates traditional Hindu beliefs and has informed the design of mandirs since 1500 BCE. This means every detail of the temple's structure is intertwined with the traditions of the faith, beginning from the site selection right through to the final plans and materiality.
"The Vastu Shastra refers to an architectural text, which gives details of each and every aspect of the mandir, all the way from laying the foundations, all the way from laying the foundations, all the way to the final dedication ceremony of the temple itself," he explained.
...