Kush Depala

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As the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, or Neasden Temple as it is colloquially known, was gearing up to celebrate twenty-five years of existence, many great events, celebrations and rituals were being organised, with the expectation that tens of thousands of devotees, well-wishers, neighbours and the community at large would be able to participate in the utsava. A major part of this was a Viśvaśāntimahāpūjā (a “great” worship ritual for world peace), taking place on a patch of land near the temple, where approximately 5,000 people would participate in small groups over the course of several days. However, just a few months before the celebrations were supposed to begin in August 2020, the coronavirus pandemic struck, which stopped any chance of the mass public gatherings that were due to take place. With no other option besides cancelling the ritual, members of the community found a way to take the ritual online. Making use of PTZ cameras, Zoom, and YouTube streaming, the ritual was done “virtually” from inside the temple structure itself, and the number of participants ballooned to over 30,000. The digital platform also enabled ritual experts to take part from India and abroad, in this case allowing both participation and communication within the ritual space across the globe.