Shravan Shuklapaksha 5, Kaliyug Varsha 5116
Robbinsville (United States) — Just off Route 130, the Robbinsville chapter of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Sanstha is preparing to open one of the few traditional stone temples in North America. Modest in size by American standards, the building will reflect extraordinary care in construction and be festooned inside and out with religious carvings.
During grand ceremonies next month, the BAPS community will open what will be its sixth traditional stone mandir in North America, welcoming devotees into a hand-carved prayer temple built to the minute specifications of the Hindu Shilpa Shastras, ancient architectural texts.
The mandir is constructed entirely of Italian marble that was sculpted in India and completed on site at North Main Street. When open, it will stand 134 feet long and 87 feet wide, with 108 pillars and three garbha gruhs, inner sanctums where BAPS followers can worship.
“Usually a conventional building, be it a warehouse or a home, is converted into a Hindu temple,” said Dipal Patel, a BAPS Robbinsville volunteer. “The difference here is that this temple is built according to Indian scripture.”
The ornate marble building is part of a growing complex of religious buildings on 100 acres in the Windsor area of the township. BAPS expects to draw thousands of worshippers from surrounding states to the inaugural events at the mandir, which was originally considered for installation in East Windsor but encountered community opposition. When finished, the compound will have a religious assembly hall including space for yoga, sports and a dining hall; a rectory; a religious youth center and a welcome center for the temple.
Currently, there are only five other stone mandirs in North America — located in suburbs near Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Toronto, Patel said. “There are typically requirements with regards to what has to be in the temple and the type of ambience required,” Patel said.
Because the Robbinsville mandir was built with marble, the entire structure will be located indoors in order to prevent damage due to weather conditions, Patel said. Other stone mandirs are built of limestone, which can withstand such conditions.
After a three-year-long construction process that cost $18 million, the temple will be inaugurated on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10, when followers will have a sacrificial ritual for world peace and also a Shobha Yatra, a celebratory procession of different Hindu deities.
The new mandir will be open to the public on Aug. 16 for a special dedication ceremony overseen by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj and 40 Indian sadhus and priests. But while the opening of the mandir comes with fanfare, the facility will mostly be used by regular members of the Robbinsville BAPS community, Patel said.
Robbinsville BAPS has a number of long-standing partnerships in the Mercer County area, welcoming school programs and hosting community events, but Patel said the mandir will remain primarily a house of worship. “It’s not a temple for show. It’s a temple for worship,” he said.
The stone mandir completes the second phase of construction for the Robbinsville BAPS chapter, which also included construction of a rectory for religious leaders.
The chapter built its first phase in the late 2000s, constructing a Sabha hall for group worship shortly after Robbinsville Township gave the project approval in 2008.
Future projects call for the construction of a youth center and welcome center, offering insight on BAPS and Hinduism for those who are interested in the religion, Patel said.
For more information, visit BAPS.org.
Source: NJ.Com
