Hundreds of dishes filled the altar at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Tigard on Saturday, as the temple marked Diwali, the festival of lights, with a celebration that doubled as a new year's gathering for many of the families who filled its halls. The centerpiece was the Grand Annakut, an elaborate offering presented to Lord Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami and other deities, surrounded by visitors who came not just to observe but to mark a fresh start.
A Feast Fit for the Deities
According to OPB, the Grand Annakut was an offering of hundreds of dishes, continuing a tradition in which Annakut, a customary Hindu offering of vegetarian dishes, anchors the temple's Diwali festivities. For many in attendance, the celebration also marked the start of a new year, OPB reported, tying the ritual meal to a broader sense of renewal that ran through the day's events. The gathering drew people from across Oregon, the outlet noted, turning a single temple hall into a meeting point for the state's Hindu community.
Beyond the Annakut, visitors toured “Light Beyond Lamps: Journey Through Hindu Sanskruti,” a cultural exhibition covering Hindu scriptures ranging from the ancient Vedas to the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, per the same account. The exhibit gave the celebration an educational layer alongside the ritual offerings, letting attendees move between prayer, food and study over the course of the day.
Volunteers Behind the Scenes
Puja Satikunvar, described as a longtime BAPS volunteer, helped decorate the temple, prepare food and craft food carvings in the months leading up to Diwali, the station's report states. For her, the holiday carries a simple meaning: Diwali means coming together. Her family lives out of state and overseas, but with her temple community, she said, “I don't feel lonely at all.” She described the day as a chance to find peace in the hustle, a sentiment that echoed the broader spirit volunteers brought to the celebration.
Avi Patel, who is part of the temple's Diwali outreach team, called the event the largest Diwali celebration in Oregon, per his own characterization relayed by the outlet. Patel said the celebration drew people from across the state and that for many families it feels like an annual family reunion. He added that the event is meant to share information, culture and knowledge rather than simply educate people, and that he hopes visitors carry Diwali's spirit through service and volunteering into the year ahead, the article notes.
A Tradition Years in the Making
The Tigard celebration builds on festivities that have grown over the years at the temple. A preview from Tigard Life described the Mandir opening its doors to the public for its annual Diwali celebration on Saturday, Nov. 14, framing it as an event the broader community is welcome to join. Last year, more than 250 people gathered at the temple for Chopda Pujan, a Diwali ritual blessing account books and other tools for the year ahead, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Just two days before that 2025 ceremony, the temple hosted its own Annakut festival, offering hundreds of vegetarian dishes as a symbol of the year's harvest before they were shared among the congregation.
That same 2025 report quoted Patel saying larger celebrations such as Diwali often draw more than 1,000 visitors, underscoring the scale the temple has built since establishing itself in Tigard in 2004. With more than 200 regular members, the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir has become a fixture of the city's community life, hosting rituals that stretch from account-book blessings to scripture exhibitions and, now, another Grand Annakut drawing families from across the state.
