Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, duchess of Cornwall, added colour to the Diwali celebrations in Britain by visiting Shri Swaminarayan temple here and participating in a symbolic “Lakshmi Puja” ceremony.

Yogvivek Swami,  head priest at the temple in Neasden, greeted the prince on Friday in the traditional Indian way with a garland.

Female staff 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 “abhisheka” of Shri Nilkanth Varni before being escorted to the Haveli to have a view of the building’s architecture. Both the prince and the duchess lit an earthen lamp in the Haveli to commemorate their presence on Diwali.

After being feted with garlands, they participated in a symbolic “Chopda Pujan (Lakshmi Puja)” ceremony while the children chanted Vedic hymns. This was followed by a dance.

Prince Charles, in his address, spoke of his “great privilee” in 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.

He 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 could be blessed.