The stone for the BAPS Temple in Atlanta, Georgia was shipped piece by piece from India, where craftsmen had sculptured it into more than 500 designs including rosettes, leaves, feathers and lacy geometric patterns. The thousands of sections, ranging from five ounces to five tons, each with its own bar code, have been assembled like a giant jigsaw puzzle based on instructions for religious buildings written into scripture thousands of years old.
Staircase to the Temple
The water feature at BAPS Temple in Atlanta, Georgia is decorated with a row of elephant sculptures.
In India the elephant is a symbol for power, dignity, intelligence and peace. Elephants in Hinduism and the Indian Culture are a symbol of intellectual strength, and sturdy earthy mental strength. Elephants, in general, symbolize the qualities of wisdom, strength, courage, longevity, patience, honor, and stature.
Row of Elephants at the Temple
A peacock sculpture welcomes visitors to the BAPS Temple in Atlanta, Georgia. Peacocks symbolize grace, pride, and beauty. They are a sign of joy for all who see them. Peacocks are often used in Indian mythology and folk stories.
A Peacock Welcome
Open to one and all, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, in Atlanta, Georgia) was inaugurated in August of 2007 after only 17 months of construction time utilizing 1.3 million volunteer hours. The Mandir is comprised of three types of stone (Turkish Limestone, Italian marble, and Indian pink sandstone). More than 34,000 individual pieces were carved by hand in India, shipped to the USA and assembled like a giant 3-D puzzle.
BAPS Temple Atlanta Panorama
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, Georgia is a traditional Hindu mandir, or place of worship. The mandir was constructed in accordance with ancient Hindu architectural scriptures, and is the largest mandir of its kind outside of India. The mandir is made of 34,450 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble, Turkish limestone and Indian pink sandstone, situated on landscaped grounds spread over 30 acres. The mandir complex also includes a large assembly hall, family activity center, classrooms, and an exhibition on the key tenets of Hinduism. The mandir is open daily for worship and to visitors of any faith.
Two bench views of the mandir form different perspectives.
BAPS Mandir Atlanta
BAPS Temple Atlanta
Threatening rain-clouds over the BAPS Temple in Atlanta
Temple Under the Clouds
Colorful flowers create a contrasting foreground to the white marble BAPS temple and clouds in Atlanta
Color at BAPS Temple Atlanta
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, Georgia is a traditional Hindu mandir, or place of worship, inaugurated on 26 August 2007 by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a denomination of the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. The mandir located in the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, was constructed in accordance with ancient Hindu architectural scriptures, and is one of the largest mandir of its kind outside of India.
A Temple Under the Clouds
Photos by Ravi 