Walking tour of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills California

Discover the timeless traditions of Ancient India embodied through this mandir in the 21st century. The exhibition — Mandir: Inspiring Faith, Tradition, and Harmony — showcases enduring Hindu traditions alive within the mandir’s architecture as well as through the faith and love of the devotees. Visitors will also experience the journey of the mandir’s construction through inspiring images and facts.

Adjacent to the Mandir is a unique cultural building – an intricately designed, traditional wooden Haveli. The Haveli represents a genre of traditional Indian architectural structures that were developed during the Rajput period, in the 15th-19th centuries, specifically in the western Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Characterized by a central open courtyard, the Haveli showcases the immense woodworking skill of Indian craftsmen. It is evident in the stunning array of ornamental and symbolic motifs that adorn many brackets, pillars, arches, and balconies.

The Mandir is a place of worship and prayer for followers of Hinduism. The structure itself is built according to the Shilpa Shastra, a collection of architectural treatises that have been an integral part of Indian architecture and engineering for thousands of years. The sacred images and ceremonies of worship in the Mandir form the very core in elevating the soul to the pinnacle of God-realization according to Hindu philosophy. Swaminarayan Mandirs, worldwide, fulfill the ancient and lofty concept of the Hindu tradition of Mandirs.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a Hindu temple complex located in Chino Hills, in southwestern San Bernardino County in southern California. The temple belongs to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha denomination of Hinduism. Constructed from 35,000 pieces of meticulously hand carved Italian Carrara marble and Indian Pink sandstone, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, encompasses five pinnacles, two large domes, four balconies, 122 pillars and 129 archways. From the external walls and domes to the inside pillars and ceilings, the Mandir is completely etched with intricate carvings in marble and sandstone. The 6,600 hand-carved motifs depict a mosaic of tales of inspiration, devotion and dedication, along with historical figures from Hinduism. Artisans created the carvings in India with great love, skill and patience before the pieces were shipped to Chino Hills.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chino Hills features by the numbers:

5 Shikhar (pinnacle)
2 intricately carved domes
4 balconies with hundreds of carved motifs
35,000 individual stone pieces placed together like a puzzle
122 hand-carved pillars
129 seamlessly placed archways
6,600 hand-carved motifs and images
1,500 craftsmen in India
91 foot, Lotus-shaped reflection pond and fountain

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