After seeing a sponsored advert on Facebook for it, we thought we’d give this Hindu temple community meal a go. Any trip which involves food always goes down well with our family!
Once a month, this Hindu Temple in Oldham (Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Oldham) puts on a traditional Gujarati Thali dining experience. A thali is a platter of food which has many different dishes on and these were all from Gujarat, a state in India. All food is vegetarian or vegan and you can have unlimited servings. Adults are £15, Under 13s £7 and Under 4s are free. We most definitely got our money’s worth! The booking link is here or you can go via their Facebook page.
We were welcomed so warmly by the many temple volunteers and there was a steady flow of fresh food coming out of the kitchen. As we’ve never had food like this before, we asked the volunteers what everything was and how it was made and they very enthusiastically told us what they knew. We each ended up liking different dishes and things we would never have chosen to eat if we’d known in advance what they were!
We most definitely didn’t like the Chaas, a yoghurt based drink, so we opted for tap water instead but we had seconds (and in some cases thirds) of the dishes we liked the most.
There was a really lovely atmosphere in the dining hall. There were lone diners, couples, families and also large groups of 8+ friends. The volunteers were busy but they always stopped to talk or to check if we were enjoying ourselves.
After the meal, which took around 30 minutes, we were shown around the temple by one of the volunteers. We timed it well as prayers started at 6pm and so we were invited to stand at the back and watch the prayer session. We are planning to learn about Hinduism in depth when we start back after summer so this was a great introduction to the religion. The volunteer talked us through what was happening and what they believe. We now can’t wait to learn more!
The temple was only opened in summer 2022 so the facilities are super new and outstanding. The entrance to the temple is absolutely stunning and is made from hand-carved marble imported from India. More importantly, the grandeur of the building is easily matched by the warmth and welcoming atmosphere once you get inside. We will most definitely go back again, and a group educational visit is in the pipeline too. What a brilliant way to learn about another culture and religion!
