The first BAPS Mandir in North America was inaugurated in 1974 in New York by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Satsang has been flourishing ever since and plans have been underway to open a second Mandir for the devotees of the Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties in the state of New York.
On Saturday, November 11, 2012, Sadguru Pujya Kothari Swami (Pujya Bhaktipriya Swami) performed the Bhumi Pujan ceremony with Vedic rituals at the new site for the proposed BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melville, NY.
In the assembly following the Mahapuja ceremony in which over 400 devotees participated, Pujya Swamis and devotees spoke about the history and the efforts that went behind developing this Mandir site. After felicitation of the guests, Pujya Kothari Swami spoke about the significance of Mandirs in our lives.