amazing swaminarayan temples from around the world - rediff

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AMAZING Swaminarayan temples from around the worldLast updated on: January 9, 2013 09:17 IST

The Swaminarayan faith is one of many Hindudenominations, with a presence in India andthroughout the world.Followers are known for their discipline, dedication,spirit of volunteerism and commitment to a productivelife.Swaminarayan temples are a major draw for devoteesand alike. They are known for their grandeur andarchitecture,A recent addition to the list of temples around theworld is the Swaminarayan Temple inHollywood, US at a colossal cost of $100 million(Rs 543.5 crore) and designed to last 1,000 years.Let's take a look at some of the stunningSwaminarayan temples around the world.

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Popularly known as the 'Neasden Temple' -- theSwaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, north London,is a masterpiece of Indian stonework andcraftsmanship, replete with its towering whitepinnacles, smooth domes and intricate marble pillars,all based on ancient Vedic principles of art andarchitecture

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The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Complex in Bartlett, Chicago. This masterpiece of ancient design andworkmanship was put up in only 16 months.


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The Swaminarayan Mandir in Houston is the firsttraditional Hindu Mandir of its kind in North America. Itis a masterpiece of intricate design and workmanship,replete with its 5 towering white pinnacles, 12 smoothdomes and glittering 136 marble pillars.



The Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, US was inaugurated in August 2007 after only 17 months of construction time.The Mandir is comprised of 3 types of stone (Turkish Limestone, Italian marble, and Indian pink sandstone). More than34,000 individual pieces were carved by hand in India, shipped to US and assembled in Lilburn like a giant 3-D puzzle.



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The Swaminarayan Mandir complex in Toronto,Canada is a masterpiece of intricate design andworkmanship of ancient Indian arts, traditions andphilosophy. The temple was constructed in a record 18months.



The Swaminarayan Mandir in Nairobi is the first traditional Hindu temple of its kind to be constructed, carved andcreated according to the ancient Hindu Shilpashastras on the African continent.

350 tons of yellow Jesalmer sandstone from Jesalmer, Rajasthan, was mined and transported to Pindwada, a village 400km from Jesalmer. There the stones were hand carved to various designs by 150 skilled sculptors over a period of twoyears. The carved pieces were then shipped from India to Mombasa and assembled in Nairobi like a giant jigsaw puzzle.



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The Swaminarayan Temple in Mombasa



The East African Satsang Swaminarayan Temple in Nairobi



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The Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne



The Swaminarayan Temple in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania



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The Swaminarayan Temple in Cardiff, UnitedKingdom



The Swaminarayan Temple in Karachi, Pakistan



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The Swaminarayan Temple in Kampala, Uganda


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amazing swaminarayan temples from around the world - rediff

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