The Temple

This is the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu temple near my house. The dreary gray day doesnt do justice to the beautiful architecture. Matter of fact, it really flattens the image so I did what I could to bring out its beauty. I'm not really familiar with the Hindu religion or customs so I thought I'd go inside for a closer look. Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed inside.

There are two buildings in the complex. The entrance building is completely covered inside and out with beautifully carved wood. Once inside, I was instructed to remove my shoes and directed to the temple building. There is a short underground hallway between the two buildings. The hallway is a gallery of artwork that explains the religion, its history and beliefs. At the end is a stairway that leads up to the main meditation room with a sign requesting silence.

Once I reached the top of the stairs I was taken by surprise and the beauty of the room took my breath away. The entire place is carved marble. The floors and ceilings and a matrix of carved marble colums were artfully lit. There were shrines along each wall at which there were a few people sitting in meditation. If heaven has an entrance, I would imagine it looks like this room.

I'll go back on a nice sunny day and capture this work of art in a better light.