With Inputs by Jannet Tarihi, Chicago
BAPS during the hot summer 2005(Photo by: Preston Brewston)
Bartlett (IL), Aug 26: Shree Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS), in Chicago is the largest traditional Hindu Mandir of stone and marble, in the United States.
Mandir was constructed in a very short period of time ? 16 months from foundation to finish. This was entirely created according to ancient Hindu Shilpashastras. 42,842 Cu. Ft. of lime stone from Turkey and 32,808 cu. Ft. marble from Italy was shipped to India and carved along with 4,850 cu. Ft. of Makrana marble from India.
A total of 8,430 tons of stone were used in all. Carved pieces were shipped to India and carved along with the Makrana marble from India. The carved pieces were thenshipped from India to Chicago to assemble into the Mandir.
BAPS – The Winter Moods!
The structure with 5 pinnacles and 16 domes, 151 pillars, and 129 arches is completely lit with Lumenyte? Fiber Optic Lighting Systems. A variety of acrylic stranded bundle diameters were fed through the marble access cavities from the top of the Mandir and onto the ornately carved marble through lensed fixtures to create splashes of color throughout the facility.
The light sources use the 150-w Philips Master Color lamps and a DMX512 color control system. A similar Hindu structure was recently constructed and dedicated in Houston, Texas.
(Photo by :Preston Brewston )
Birth of BAPS
The Swaminarayan Sampraday came into existence with the incarnation of Bhagwan Swaminarayan on Earth on April 3, 1781 (Chaitra sud 9, Samvat 1837). Throughout His life, Bhagwan Swaminarayan initiated aspirants into the fold and inspired them to live moral and pious lives. He created a legion of sadhus (renunciants) who worked selflessly for God and society. He also promised to remain ever-present on Earth through a continuous lineage of spiritual successors. After Bhagwan Swaminarayan reverted to His eternal abode, Gunatitanand Swami became the head of Satsang (synonymous with the Swaminarayan Sampraday), followed by Pragji Bhakta and then by Shastri Yagnapurushdas (better known as Shastriji Maharaj). Shastriji Maharaj formalised the organisation by registering it and establishing five mandirs (Hindu mandirs) in his time, the first being in Bochasan, a small town near Anand in the state of Gujarat in India. The inauguration of the Bochasan mandir took place on June 5, 1907 (Vaishakh vad 10, Samvat 1963). This day marked the formal establishment of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha has over one million followers, and 680 trained sadhus. Out of these devotees, more than 45,000 are registered as active volunteers. Generally, though, anyone that attends the weekly assemblies or daily arti at the nearest mandir and follows the precepts and codes of conduct prescribed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan is considered to be a follower of BAPS.
Hospitals, Schools, Hostels, Diagnostic Camps, Free medicines, Mobile medical vans and pure Herbal medicines are all part of BAPS activities, conducted internationally by fully devoted sadhus and volunteers.
BAPS is also well known for the cultural monument Akshardham (Gandhinagar, India) and the Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir (Neasden, London). The Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir of London has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 and again in the year 2000 edition.
With more than 640 mandirs (temples) and 9,090 centers in 45 countries, the organization is growing rapidly under the dynamic leadership of its spiritual head, His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Is BAPS a social organization?
BAPS is a socio-religious organization, with its efforts ultimately directed towards activities aimed at uplifting families and individuals. BAPS believes that if each individual is at peace with himself or herself, the world will be at peace. BAPS works to achieve this by inspiring a strong belief in peace, humanitarian service and a healthy respect for all religions and people, irrespective of class, creed, color or country. BAPS is also involved in social activities, such as providing relief in times of disasters as well as constructing and managing educational institutions, hospitals and medical camps. However, this is only a part of the whole. The Sanstha, under the leadership of His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, conducts weekly spiritual assemblies as well as personality development camps for men, women and children. BAPS celebrates religious and cultural festivals in India and abroad on a large scale, and also shows its concern for the environment through tree-planting programs.
(Photo by :Preston Brewston )
“Swaminarayan Sampraday”
Followers of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, like all Hindus, bow down to all deities, but offer their worship and prayers to Bhagwan Swaminarayan – the principal deity. Similarly, in most Swaminarayan mandirs you will find murtis of Radha-Krishna, Sita-Ram, Shiv-Parvati, Hanuman and Ganapati, but in the central shrine of the mandir you will always find the murtis of Bhagwan Swaminarayan accompanied by His ideal devotee, Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami.
In the Swaminarayan Sampraday, a person is not a devotee simply because he has a certain set of beliefs, but rather, along with those beliefs, the devotee is actively engaged in spiritual rituals, i.e., the daily worship of God, going to the mandir to pay homage and attending spiritual discourses, etc. The Swaminarayan Sampraday is also very active in the fields of moral, social, cultural, ecological and educational care through its relief work, mandirs, schools, anti-addiction campaigns, etc. The followers also voluntarily help in such activities.
(Photo by: Preston Brewston)
Basic Practice
The five most basic practices of the followers are practices that express the Hindu ideals of satya (truth), daya (compassion), ahimsa (non-violence), brahmacharya (celibacy) and asteya (non-stealing). Followers do not consume alcohol or meat. They do not steal or engage in sex outside of marriage. Followers also maintain purity of conduct and practice customs that express the higher ideals of dharma (righteous conduct as prescribed by the scriptures), gnan (knowledge of God and one’s true self), vairagya (detachment from worldly pleasures), and bhakti (devotion to God).
Other common practices of the Swaminarayan Sampraday include:
-Followers perform seva regularly. Seva is a wide array of voluntary services that the followers take part in. Seva can be said to be any voluntary service performed in the realm of the organization with the intent to please and serve God and the guru. Typical types of seva include tasks as diverse as housekeeping, maintenance, preparing food, serving food, washing utensils, decoration, public relations and correspondence.
-Followers perform ghar sabha daily. Ghar sabha is a family assembly wherein all the family members daily sit together for approximately half an hour to pray to God, engage in scriptural reading, discuss their day and understand each other.
-Followers take part in the celebration of samaiyos. Samaiyos are sacred festival days in the Hindu calendar. They range from the sanctified birthdates of God, His avatars and His Sadhus, to the celebrations of Diwali, Annakut, Rath Yatra ,etc.
(Photo by :Preston Brewston )
Mandir Facts:
Dimensions:
Total land: 30 acres
Mandir: 22442 sq. ft.
Height: 78 ft.
Width: 112 ft.
Length: 213 ft.
Stones:
Outside: Turkish Lime stone 42842 Cu. Ft.
Inside: Italian marble from Italy (32808 cu. Ft.)and Makrana marble from India 4850 cu. Ft.
Total: 8430 tones.
Size: Smallest stone 15 gm to largest stone of 5.2 tones.
Features:
5 Pinnacles (shikhara)
1 Central Dome (22 ft. in dia.)
16 Domes
4 Balconies
14 Windows
151 Pillars
75 ceilings with 39 different designs
4 Small Pinnacles (Samaram)
129 Arches (Toran)
Infrastructure:
40,000 stone pieces
85,000 cu. Ft total stone structure
No Iron or Steel used
Central heating and cooling
Under floor heating with Gel tubing
Fiber optic lighting
(Photo by: Preston Brewston )
(Photo by: Preston Brewston )
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