1 week ago
Notre-Dame Restoration Experts Help Build Paris’s First Major Hindu Temple
A new Hindu temple is being built near Paris in France.
It will be the country’s first major traditionally designed stone Hindu temple.
The temple was organized by BAPS, a Hindu religious group based in Gujarat, India.
Indian artists carved more than 1,000 stone pieces for the building.
French architects, engineers, and stone workers helped put everything together.
Some of those workers had also helped restore Notre-Dame Cathedral.
The temple will open during a festival beginning September 2, with a formal opening on September 6.
People from all backgrounds will be able to visit the temple and its cultural facilities.
France’s first major Hindu temple is set to open in Bussy-Saint-Georges, east of Paris, during a 13-day festival beginning September 2.
The BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir was built with Indian artisans and French architects, engineers, stonemasons, and construction specialists.
H Chevalier, which worked on Notre-Dame Cathedral’s restoration, contributed to the temple project alongside other French firms.
The white-marble temple includes five spires, 10 domes, 120 ornate windows, carved columns, and 49 sculpted panels.
The complex will include worship spaces, a sports hall, café, crèche, classrooms, assembly halls, and seminar halls, and will welcome visitors of all backgrounds.
- Who
- The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, Indian artisans, and French construction specialists are involved; Mahant Swami Maharaj is scheduled to consecrate the temple.
- What
- The BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir, described as France’s first major traditionally designed, purpose-built stone Hindu temple, is opening.
- Where
- Bussy-Saint-Georges, east of Paris, at the Esplanade des Religions et des Cultures.
- When
- A 13-day opening festival begins September 2; the formal opening and consecration are scheduled for September 6.
- Why
- The temple is intended to provide a Hindu place of worship and a home for faith, culture, learning, and service.
Key facts
- Organization
- Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS)
- Location
- Bussy-Saint-Georges, east of Paris, France
- Festival
- A 13-day festival begins September 2
- Formal opening
- Scheduled for September 6
- Materials
- Marble from Greece, Italy, and Ambaji in Gujarat; sandstone from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh
- Traditional features
- Five spires, 10 domes, 120 ornate windows, four canopies, 20 carved columns, and 49 sculpted panels
- Complex size and facilities
- The 5,000-square-metre complex includes worship spaces, a sports hall, café, crèche, classrooms, assembly halls, and seminar halls
Quotes
Sanjay Kara
Trustee of BAPS UK and Europe and lead of the Paris Mandir Project
“Opening BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir as France’s first traditionally designed, purpose-built stone Hindu temple is a historic moment for Hindu families in France and for everyone who has helped make this Mandir possible.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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