Mandir Information

"A Mandir is a place of paramount peace…to realize God"

- H.H. Pramukh Swami Maharaj

Significance
History
Making of Mandir
Murtis
Key Terms

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Houston is the first traditional Hindu Mandir of its kind in North America. It's a haven for spirituality and a place of paramount peace. It is also a center vibrant with social, cultural, and spiritual activities. The Mandir was inaugurated in July of 2004 after only 18 months of construction time utilizing 1.3 million volunteer hours. The Mandir is comprised of 2 types of stone (exterior Turkish Limestone and interior Italian marble). More than 33,000 individual pieces were carved by hand in India, shipped to the USA and assembled in Stafford, TX like a giant 3-D puzzle. People come to experience living Hinduism and the peace and tranquility that the sacred Mandir and Murtis provide.

In the early 1970’s and 80's a handful of Swaminarayan devotees in the Houston area began meeting at each other’s homes on a weekly basis to hold religious gatherings. As the number of devotees and the Asian Indian community in the surrounding area steadily increased, a special place of worship was needed, and with the help of devotees from around the southwestern states, a Hindu Mandir in 1988 was inaugurated on a five acre land adjancent to where the current traditional Mandir stands.

The Mandir's journey consists of many continents from the origination of each stone to the craftmanship of ancient traditions to volunteerism. The true spirit of seva, or selfless volunteering, continues to live on in this mandir just as it does in every BAPS project. Some two million man hours of labor have gone into building this special house of worship, with high school and college students foregoing their summer vacations to sweat in the Texas summer heat to make this project a success. Along with the young, many professionals and business people, including both men and women, had temporarily put their lives on hold to ensure that the traditional mandir would be completed by the end of July.

Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami
Shri Ghanshyam Maharaj
Shri Harikrishna Maharaj and Shri Radha-Krishna Dev
Brahmaswarup Bhagatji Maharaj
Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj
Brahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj
Brahmaswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj
Shri Sita-Ram Dev and Shri Hanumanji
Shri Shiva-Parvati Dev and Shri Ganeshji

Mandir Temple/place of worship
Murti Sacred image of the Deities and gurus
Darshan Seeing the Deities with reverence and adoration
Arti Ritual waving of lighted wicks before the Deities
Thal Ritual offering of food to the Deities