Diwali brings light and hundreds of dishes to Tigard temple

Dvit, 2, looks up while standing by an Annakut display, a traditional Hindu offering of vegetarian dishes, during a Diwali celebration at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Tigard, Ore., on Nov. 14, 2026.
*Jenny Kane / OPB*

A mountain of food greeted visitors Saturday at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Tigard, Oregon, where the Hindu temple celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights.

The centerpiece was the Grand Annakut, an offering of hundreds of dishes that was presented to Lord Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami and other deities. For many in attendance, the celebration also marked the start of a new year.

“Diwali means coming together for me,” said Puja Satikunvar, a longtime BAPS volunteer. She spent the months before the festival helping decorate the temple, prepare food and make the food carvings for the display.

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 “finding peace in the hustle.”

Avi Patel, who is part of the temple’s Diwali outreach team, called the event the largest Diwali celebration in Oregon. Patel said it drew people from across the state and that for many families it feels like “an annual family reunion.”

“This isn’t us educating people, but this is a sharing of information, sharing of culture, sharing of knowledge,” Patel said.

Visitors also toured “Light Beyond Lamps: Journey Through Hindu Sanskruti,” a cultural exhibition on Hindu scriptures that ranges from the ancient Vedas to the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Patel said the hope is that visitors are inspired to carry the spirit of Diwali beyond a single day and into the year ahead, through service and volunteering.

Diwali brings light and hundreds of dishes to Tigard temple

Hundreds of dishes, a cultural exhibition and a new year drew people from across the state to the Tigard mandir.

📨 Daily news in your inbox