BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha – Group Bookings

School visits

A visit to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is an ideal way to learn about Hinduism in the Religious Education curriculum and get a firsthand experience of the Hindu faith in practice. Whether it’s learning about the world’s oldest living faith from an interactive presentation and the ‘Understanding Hinduism’ exhibition, or seeing a traditional Hindu temple and witnessing the midday arti ceremony, students young and old – as well as teachers – find their trips to the Mandir to be educational, inspiring and enjoyable.

That is why so many schools and educational groups choose to visit us year on year, and as a result, we welcome around 600 such groups throughout the academic calendar. ‘School’ groups actually cover the entire spectrum of students, from junior, primary and secondary schools, to sixth form colleges and sometimes even universities. RE teachers and trainee teachers are also welcome, as are student groups from around the world.

To see our leaflet briefly introducing school visits, please click here.

We regularly receive many more requests than we can entertain – especially during school term time – so please be sure to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Visits are entertained throughout the week, including on weekends and bank holidays, subject to available visiting time slots.

There are five morning and four afternoon time-slots available for school groups.

Morning	Afternoon
9.30am	2.00pm
10.00am	2.30pm
10.30am	3.00pm
11.00am	3.30pm
11.30am

Please note that morning slots are recommended because the late-morning arti (ritual service) takes place at 11:45am. Furthermore, afternoon visitors will need to wait until 4.00pm (on weekdays) and 3.30pm (on weekends) to view the sacred deities because the shrines are closed between 12.15pm and 4.00pm (on weekdays) and between 12.30pm and 3.30pm (on weekends).

We request that all groups arrive at the Mandir at least 10 minutes prior to their allotted time-slot.

Two Types of Visits: What to Expect

For educational groups, there are two main types of visits to choose from:

1) The first consists of a 30-minute introductory talk by a guide plus a question-and-answer session, a video presentation, and visit of the Mandir. This takes approximately two hours. Please allow extra time if you would like to visit the Souvenir Shop or/and if you have students filling out the worksheets. This visit is free of charge.

2) The second includes all of the above as well as a visit to the educational ‘Understanding Hinduism’ exhibition. This visit takes about two-and-a-half hours, and is especially recommended for all school groups. A nominal charge of £1.50 per student is applicable. (All teachers enter at the concessionary rate.)

Depending on the timing and group sizes, most school visits will more or less cover the following:

What	Where	How Long (approx.)
Welcome & Introductory Address	Reception	10 mins
Short presentation on Hinduism	Assembly Hall	30 mins
‘History of the Mandir’ video	Assembly Hall	15 mins
‘Understanding Hinduism’ exhibition (if specified)	Exhibition	30 mins
Darshan (viewing of the sacred images)	Upper Sanctum	15 mins
Arti Ceremony at 11.45am (if applicable) Note seating arrangements especially	Upper Sanctum	20 mins
Q&A	Assembly Hall or Foyer	15 mins
Souvenir Shop	Foyer	15 mins
	TOTAL	2.5 hours