Saturday, October 18, 2008

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago


BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Chicago is a Hindu temple in the Chicago suburb of Bartlett, Illinois, USA. It is one of the largest traditional Hindu Mandir of stone and marble to be constructed in the United States and was built by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.[1]

The Mandir was designed according to ancient Hindu texts on temple design known as the Shilpa Shastras. It is constructed of Turkish limestone and Italian marble that was shipped to India and hand carved. The stone was then shipped to Chicago and assembled like a giant three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. From the day its first stone was laid, it took 16 months to construct, and was inaugurated on August 8, 2004 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, an international Hindu organisation belonging to the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism