BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, CA
December 23, 2012On the weekend of December 22-23, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Sannyasin Senthilnathaswami attended the inauguration of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, near Los Angeles, California.
Saturday we toured the mandir and conducted a series of interviews for an article in Hinduism Today about the temple, followed by attending the first part of the Vishwa Shanti Maha Yagna. Finally, we met with Pujya Bhaktipriya Swami, known affectionately as Kotari Swami, one of six revered satgurus (the equivalent of the acharyas in our swami order) of the BAPS fellowship. Meeting with the BAPS swamis is always a special moment of satsang among brothers.
Sunday morning we arrived at the temple early to participate in the official inauguration, opening of the doors and then the Prana Pratishtha of the murtis inside. After the arati we were taken downstairs for abhishekam of Nilkanth Varni, the golden murti of Bhagwan Swaminarayan as a young boy traveling barefoot in the forests of India, then to the giant tent set up as an assembly hall for speeches, video presentations and cultural performances. There, several swamis of the BAPS order spoke, and Bodhinatha gave a wonderful speech, which we hope to post to YouTube soon. The whole of the morning's events was webcast live, and an edited version should be available soon at www.baps.org.
Jai Swaminarayan! Aum Namah Sivaya!
The haveli as extraordinary carved wood features
Mohak Shroff, our host, tells us about the woodwork
Pujya Chaitanyamurti Swami, head of BAPS outreach for North America, welcomes Bodhinatha
Standing just outside the mandir\
s doors, viewing the exquisite marble work'
In the basement, behind Bodhinatha is one of 40 base isolators that allows the mandir to move smoothly as one unit up to 28 inches in any direction during an earthquake
An 80-channel power water fountain graces the entrance
Bodhinatha looks on as preparations for the yagna are completed
133 havan kunds in all. Families will sit around all of them after the swamis do preparatory pujas and then depart.
We enjoyed meeting dozens of the Sanstha\
s nearly 900 swamis during the proceedings, each so respectful and so much like a brother to us.'
Pan left and right to enjoy this panoramic view
Bodhinatha and Pujya Kotari Swami as well as local political dignitaries officially open the mandir
Another panoramic view from the second level of a nearby building
In the sabha for speeches and cultural performances after the mandir opening
Bodhinatha gave an engaging talk to the congregation of thousands
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