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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London
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What
is a Mandir?
Mandir is the Hindu
name for a place of worship or prayer. Mandir is a Sanskrit
word for where the mind becomes still and the soul floats freely
to seek the source of life, peace, joy and comfort. For centuries,
the mandir has remained a centre of life – a common community
place where people forget their differences and voluntarily
unite to serve society.
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London
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Why
Do We Need Mandirs?
Every
religion in its own tradition builds houses of worship. It is
the mandir that fuels our faith in God, strengthens our society
and teaches us to trust one another and to become trustworthy.
Schools will educate the mind, but who will educate
the soul? Hospitals will mend a broken arm, but who will mend
a broken heart? Cinemas and arcades will excite the mind, but
where will one go for peace of mind?
A Mandir is a centre for learning about man, nature and God.
It is where ethics and values are reinforced. It is where people
celebrate festivals and seek shelter in sad times. It is where
talents in various arts – music, literature and sculpture, etc.
– are offered in the service of God.
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Pramukh Swami Maharaj performs Shilanyas
Ceremony – 7 July 1991
Vastupurush
for foundation stone-laying ceremony in the science of mandir
design
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Science
of Architecture
From conception to completion, the Hindu
ethos for building a mandir requires that nature is appeased through
various rites performed during the different stages of the mandir
construction.
Khatmuhurt
– The land is first inspected and its soil tested for suitability
for the structure proposed. The actual ritual involves the paying
of homage to the land and performing prayers to seek permission of
earth to disturb its natural state for construction.
Shilanyas – The foundations are first dug and below the
garbhagruha, a small pot containing sacraments is ceremoniously
placed. This creates an awareness that nature is a dynamic ecosystem
and man is to live harmoniously with other life forms.
The Hindu mathematician sees within the design a complex pattern
of mathematics and geometrics that link the mandir to the universe
and its component stars, planets and galaxies. Underneath the
intricate artistic sculpture lies the foundation of regular shapes.
Hence, the birth of geometry and numeracy arose from the need
to build mandirs of perfect proportions.
Traditionally, all the masonry of such a mandir is loadbearing
in itself, with no reinforcement from ferrous metals, such as
steel in its foundation or structure. This in itself extends the
life of the mandir to over a thousand years due to absence of
erosion through temperature variations or corrosion of steel.
The cantilevered dome is believed to be the only one in Britain
that does not use steel or lead. The ferrous metals concentrate
the earth's magnetic field, which impedes meditation.
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Bharuch,
Gujarat, India
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Amdavad,
Gujarat, India
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Mahelav,
Gujarat, India
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BAPS
Swaminarayan Hindu Mandirs
As part of His divine mission to elevate
society and re-establish spirituality, Bhagwan Swaminarayan inspired
the building of six magnificient mandirs throughout Gujarat in
the space of seven years (1822-1829). In the tradition of the
Bhakti movement, He built large three-pinnacled mandirs known
as shikharbaddh mandirs. The murtis of God and His ideal devotee
were installed in mandirs at Amdavad, Bhuj, Vartal, Dholera, Junagadh
and Gadhada. These mandirs helped the masses offer devotion to
God. These mandirs emerged as ideal models of Hindu art and architecture
since they depicted Hindu thought and philosophy in the rich wall
paintings and carvings.
After
the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha
was formally established by Shastriji Maharaj in 1907, BAPS Swaminarayan
mandirs were erected to foster the worship of God with the ideal
devotee in Bochasan, Sarangpur, Gondal, Atladra and Gadhada.
These
Swaminarayan mandirs are a rare gift in today's age. They serve
as ideal examples of spiritualism coupled with art and architecture.
They are centres of peace and worship, hope and inspiration. With
their inherent peace and purity, they represent abodes of love,
peace and harmony for the devotees. Today, these mandirs are visited
daily by thousands of people who come, pray, worship and receive
divine inspiration.
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Bhagwan Swaminarayan (centre), Aksharbrahma
Gunatitanand Swami (left) and Aksharmukta Gopalanand Swami (right)
at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London |
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Concept
of Murtis
When a Hindu visits a mandir, he or she
goes there for 'darshan' which loosely translated means 'seeing'
of the sacred murtis (images). However, to the initiated, it has
a more profound meaning and implies being in close proximity with
God and beholding His divine form. Murti puja has always been
synonymous with the Hindu tradition and for thousands of years,
Hindus have practiced the adoration and reverence of sacred murtis
as a form of devotion.
In
order to appreciate this unique form of devotion, one needs to
look at the philosophy and mystique pertaining to murti puja.
The ancient sages, realizing the difficulties in controlling the
mind sanctioned murti puja to enable devotees to focus on a murti
– a medium aiding concentration. In the Bhagwad Gita (12/5), Shri
Krishna strengthens this point by stating that it is difficult
for those whose minds are attached only to the impersonal aspect
of the Supreme to make spiritual progress.
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Shri Ghanshyam Maharaj at
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London |
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Details
& Significance of Murtis in Mandirs
The Swaminarayan
Sampraday is committed to pure worship, high ideals and lofty
thoughts. To promote true upasana (mode of worship), Bhagwan Swaminarayan
constructed six towering mandirs installing in them murtis of
various deities, thus giving impetus to the practice of murti
puja. With reference to this, Bhagwan Swaminarayan has said, "In
order that devotion to God may flourish, I have erected mandirs
installing in them the murtis of God. Even if this may lead to
a slight relaxation in renunciation, it will uphold devotion to
God and thus redeem many souls." (Vachanamrut Gadhada II-27).
Learn more about murtis
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Spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan
Sanstha, Pramukh Swami Maharaj performs the murti-pratishtha at
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London –
20 August 1995 |
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Murti
Puja
From
the brilliant mind and soul of Adi Shankaracharya to the simple
village farmer, murti puja – image worship – is firmly entrenched
in the daily lives of all Hindus through countless generations
of fruitful worship. The hundreds of thousands of mandirs, large
and small, scattered over the Indian subcontinent, are visited
daily by tens of millions of the faithful.
The advent of the industrial age and the rise of science as a
supposedly omniscient superpower created a parallel disregard
for things spiritual. Unexplainable phenomena of supernatural
implications were denounced as primitive beliefs or plain heathenism.
It has been overlooked that advancement in one field of human
interest does not necessarily initiate degradation or confirm
the untruth of another field.
The bafflement of many who first behold the array of Hindu murtis
springs from the deep-rooted Western antagonism to imaging
the Divine at all.
However, worship of God through belief in His presence in an image
is considered to be one of the foremost aids to spiritual realization
in Hinduism.
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The Arti |
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Arti
The innermost calling of the soul, the arti
is the waving of lighted wicks before the deities in a spirit
of humility and gratitude, wherein faithful followers become immersed
in God's divine form. It symbolises the five elements:
1) space (akash), 2) wind (vayu), 3)
light (tej), 4) water
(jal),
and 5) earth (pruthvi).
Communal arti is performed in the mandir; however, devotees also
perform it in their homes. |
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Thal being offered to the image of God Shri Harikrishna
Maharaj |
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Thal
Thal is the offering of vegetarian food to the murtis
on a regular basis throughout the day. In essence, reciprocating
our love for God by offering food in a spirit of supreme reverence
and dedication. Thal is offered with accompanying prayers imploring
the deities to partake of and sanctify the food. |
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Offering of Annakut on Hindu New Year's
Day |
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Prasad
This can be translated as sanctified food
or any offering made to God according to one's capacity. As God
is all-merciful, it is not necessary that offerings need to be
lavish for it is stated in the scriptures "Patram, pushpam,
phalam, toyam... " – One may offer a leaf, flower, fruit
or even water with devotion. It is the sentiment behind the offering
that is of importance rather than the actual offering.
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Abhishek
After renouncing his home at the tender age of 11, Bhagwan Swaminarayan commenced a journey of spiritual awakening across the length and breadth of India – during which he came to be known as Nilkanth Varni. Barefooted, Nilkanth walked alone covering 12,000 kilometres over 7 years.
As a tribute to his divine sojourns, on Monday 6 September 2004, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj installed the murti of Bhagwan Shri Nilkanth Varni at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden.
Abhishek is a special ceremony in which the sacred image of God is bathed with water (or on special occasions with panchamrut – a mixture of five items: milk, yogurt, honey, sugar and ghee).
Sanctified water from the sacred rivers of India is poured from a small copper vessel on to the deity. The steady trickle of water signifies our devotion towards God which should ideally be continuous and everlasting.
During the ceremony, the worshipper also offers prayers to God for his/her inner wishes to be fulfilled and for his/her mind to be purified.
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