BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Nairobi

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Nairobi

Infobox Mandir
caption= BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Nairobi
creator = Pramukh Swami Maharaj / BAPS
proper_name = BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
date_built = August 29, 1999
primary_deity = Bhagwan Swaminarayan
architecture = North Indian / Shilpa Shastras
location = Forest Road, Nairobi, Kenya

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Nairobi is a Hindu temple in Nairobi, Kenya. Although there were temples in Africa before this, it is the first traditional stone and marble Hindu temple to be constructed on the African continent and was built by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, an international Hindu organisation belonging to the Swaminarayan faith of Hinduism. It was opened on August 29 1999 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

Mandir

The Mandir was designed according to the ancient Hindu shilpa shastras and is made from 350 tonnes of yellow sandstone from Jesalmer mined from Rajasthan, India. The stone was mined and transported to Pindwada, some 400km to Jesalmer where it was hand-carved by 150 craftsmen. Following two years of carving work, the pieces were shipped to Mombasa, Kenya and assembled in Nairobi like a giant three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. [http://www.ahmedabad.com/incity/1999/sep/6swami.htm Swaminarayan temple in Kenya] . Ahmedabad.com (September 6 1999). Accessed December 20 2007.]

The interior of the Mandir is unique in that it is made from intricately carved wood. Most traditional Hindu temples have stone interiors but this BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir uses indigenous timber from East Africa, such as camphor, mahogany, mvuli, Mt. Elgon teak and meru oak. [ [http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1999/12/1999-12-02.shtml Massive New BAPS Temple] . Hinduism Today (December 1999). Accessed December 20 2007.] This was exported to India and carved by approximately 250 craftsmen.

The Mandir comes complete with shikhars (pinnacles), sthambhas (pillars) and ghummats (domes). A team from Kenya visited some of the famous temples and monuments in Rajasthan, Kerala and elsewhere in India before the temple design was finalised. [H.E. Raju K. Bhatia (March 2002). "Temple With a Message". "India Perspective". ( [http://www.swaminarayan.org/essays/2007/0812.htm Online article copy] )]

Haveli

Adjacent to the Mandir is BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Haveli. The Haveli, a cultural complex, is a large building which comprises a Prayer Hall, Kitchen, Dining Hall, Concourse, Assembly Hall, Administrative Offices, Gymnasium, Dispensary, Youth Hall and a Centre for social services.

Awards

*On June 27, 2000, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was awarded The Architectural Association of Kenya's [http://www.swaminarayan.org/news/2000/11/nairobi/images/Awardf.jpgMillennium Award for Excellence in Architecture] . [ [http://www.swaminarayan.org/news/2000/11/nairobi/index.htm Millennium Award For Excellence In Architecture, Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Nairobi] . Swaminarayan.org (November 21 2000). Accessed December 20 2007.]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London — For other Swaminarayan Mandirs in London, see Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir …   Wikipedia

  • Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha — Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (Gujarati: બોચાસનવાસી અક્ષ૨ પુરુષોત્તમ સ્વામિનારાયણ સંસ્થા Bocāsanvāsī Akshar Purushottam Swāminārāyan Sansthā ) or BAPS, is a major organization within the Swaminarayan faith. The organization …   Wikipedia

  • Swaminarayan Sampraday — Udharva Marka, a symbol of the Swaminarayan Sampraday Formation 1700s Type Religious Headquarters …   Wikipedia

  • Swaminarayan — redirects here. For other uses, see Swaminarayan (disambiguation). Swaminarayan Swaminarayan under a Neem tree in Gadhada Born 3 April 1781 …   Wikipedia

  • List of Hindu temples — Hindu temple is called Mandir or Kovil or Devasthanam or Dega (Nepal Bhasa) or Ambalam (Malayalam) or other words in different Indian languages. It is usually dedicated to a primary deity, called the presiding deity, and other deities associated… …   Wikipedia

  • Hinduism in Kenya — IntroductionHinduism in Kenya mainly comes from coastal trade routes between primarily between Gujarat and Marwar in India and East Africa.The Origin of the Kenyan Gujarati dates back to the late 1800s (early 1900s), when British colonialists… …   Wikipedia

  • Pramukh Swami Maharaj — Infobox Hindu leader name= Pramukh Swami Maharaj birth date= birth date |1921|12|7 birth place= Chansad, Vadodara, India birth name=Shantilal Patel death date= death place= guru= Shastri Yagnapurushdas, Sadhu Gnãnjivandas honors= Shastri… …   Wikipedia

  • Akshardham (Gandhinagar) — Akshardham Gandhinagar is one of the largest temples in the Indian state of Gujarat. The temple complex combines devotions, art, architecture, education, exhibitions and research at one place. The temple came to international attention when two… …   Wikipedia

  • Akshardham (Delhi) — This article is about the Hindu cultural complex in Delhi. For other meanings, see Akshardham (disambiguation). Akshardham …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”