Satsangis from India and Africa started to arrive in Britain during the late 50s and early 60s. They settled all over England and some settled in the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Where ever the Swaminarayan satsangis went they took with them their culture, their tradition, their heritage and above all they took with them their religion. The satsangis who settled in Cardiff were no different. They kept their religious duties of celebrating the festivals; firstly within their own homes and later by means of hiring the church, school, community halls, etc. These events became more and more frequent and also included social activities such as raas, which continued for many years

During this period various Shree Swaminarayan Temples were being established in places like Bolton, London, and Oldham. His Holiness Acharya Maharajshree Tejendraprasadji of the North Diocese regularly came to Britain to give His darshan and His divine blessing to the satsangis at these temples. During the summer of 1978 His Holiness decided to visit Cardiff and shower His divine blessing to the satsangis. This occasion was of great celebration and a church hall was hired for this event. Many people went to the outskirts of Cardiff to welcome His Holiness and escort Him and the accompanying Swamis (saints) to the hall. The hall was crowded with several hundred satsangis eagerly waiting for the darshan of His Holiness. For many it would be the first time that they had seen Him.

His Holiness gave His blessing to everyone present and remarked that all the satsangis should get together and establish a temple in this city. Within six months of His visit the satsangis met and wrote a letter to Mahant Swami Hariswaroopdasji of Bhuj Mandir (Kutch) as most of the satsangis were from Kutch and after acquired His blessing, they decided to look for a suitable place for the Temple. They found a disused printing press warehouse (which used to be a synagogue). This place was purchased for £22,000. The temple was renovated with the help of a loan received from Willesden Temple in London and from the satsangis in Cardiff. The Mandir was opened to worshipers on Swaminarayan Jayanti / Ramnavmi on 6th April 1979. A temporary Sinhasan was constructed to house the Murtis. These Murtis were Sahajanand Swami, Nar Narayan Dev, Radha Krishna Hari Krishna Maharaj, Ghanshyam Maharaj and Manki Ghodi Asvarit Shreeji Maharaj.

In August 1982, the swamis from Bhuj mandir performed the Murti Pranpratishta with great jubilation. This was the first occasion when the swamis from Bhuj had visited devotees outside of India. The satsangis of Cardiff are proud and privileged that our Mandir is the first Mandir where Bhuj saints has performed Murti Pranpratishta outside India with the blessings of His Holiness Acharya Maharaj Shree Tejendraprasadji. This was because His Holiness could not attend the Murti Prathista in 1982. His Holiness made a visit the following year to perform Aarti and shower His blessings. He has visited Cardiff Mandir many times since and has bestowed His blessing to the satsangis and for the smooth running of the Temple.

In the winter of 1989 Cardiff Mandir set up an exhibition on the life history of Swaminarayan Bhagwan. This was another first for Cardiff Temple. The exhibition was opened by the Rt. Hon. Alun Michael MP. Over time the variety of activities and the number of satsangis increased. The temple started to become too small to accommodate the worshippers, thus the committee decided and agreed that a bigger, more suitable place should be acquired where more facilities could be facilitated. Many different places were considered to build the new Shree Swaminarayan Temple and finally a suitable place was chosen. The property opposite the current temple was purchased in 1992 for £150,000. His Holiness Acharya Maharajshree Tejendraprasadji performed the Bhoomi Poojan. Swami Keshavprasad Dasji from Bhuj Mandir performed the Vedic ceremony. Then renovation of the two-story property started. Work was undertaken by many satsangis during their spare time, holidays, weekends, after work etc. The youngsters took this opportunity to acquire manual skills such as carpentry, electrical wiring, building, plumbing etc. They did not merely acquire these skills but worked with great devotion and enthusiasm. Many satsangis came from various parts of UK to help renovate the Mandir to its current splendor. In true satsangis fashion, the ladies and girls also joined in the building of the Temple. Cardiff Mandir was the first Mandir in the UK to have a dome above the Sinhasan.

On the eleventh Patotsav the new Mandir was opened (25th September 1993). His Holiness Acharya Maharaj Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj, Her Holiness Gadiwala, Swamis from both Ahmedabad and Bhuj came to Cardiff to celebrate this occasion. Swami Narayanmuni Dasji and Aksharprakash Dasji read a nine-day recital of the Shreemad Bhagwat. His Holiness Acharya Maharaj Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj, Mahant Sadguru Swami Hariswarupdasji and Sadguru Dharmakishordasji blessed this Mandir with Vedic ceremonies. On the same day a Nagar Yatra (procession) took place through the center of Cardiff. His Holiness Acharya Maharaj, Her Holiness Gadiwala, prominent Swamis along with thousands of satsangis from all over the UK, India, USA and Africa arrived in Cardiff to join in the festivities. Swaminarayan Bhagwan graced the day by providing a warm and sunny summer day. Never in the history of Cardiff had such a colourful and joyous procession been witnessed. The streets were washed with bright colours and the route of the Nagar Yatra left a trail of red gulal.

The Temple has become very prominent within South Wales and its community. It also hosts various cultural events. Here are just a few examples to illustrate the diversity:

• School visits by students

• School visits by teachers

• Police training

• Diabetes Awareness seminar

• Heartstart Program

• Religious world week festival

• Visits by High Commissioner of India

The Temple also played a major role in collecting aide for the earthquake victims in Gujarat, India. It became a focal point in Wales for the collection of clothes, blankets, medicine and money. A memorial service was organised by the Mandir and was attended by all the political party leaders of the Welsh Assembly including First Minister of Wales, Rodrey Morgan and different community leaders of Wales. During this occasion, the Swamis of Dhangadhra performed the Vedic services. The president of the Temple and the president of S.K.L.P.S were also nominated for the Red Cross Award on how the community was able to collect a large amount of money in just a short space of time.

The President of the Mandir was also given the opportunity to meet Her Majesty, The Queen in person at Buckingham Palace. He was also the only Hindu representative in the Swaminarayan Sampraday and Wales to attend the thanks giving ceremony to the Queen in St. Paul's Cathedral, London. This event was televised throughout the world.