BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

DETAILS:

• Location: 15100 Fairfield Ranch Rd, Chino Hills, CA 91709

• Hours of Operation:

  • Visitor Center

    • Daily; 9AM to 7PM

  • Mandir (Hindu Temple)

    • Monday-Friday: 9AM to 12PM & 4PM to 7:30PM

    • Saturday, Sunday & Holidays: 9AM to 7:30PM

    • If you would prefer to visit the Mandir between 12PM and 4PM during the weekdays, please email: tours.la@usa.baps.org 

• Parking: Free parking lot on site.

• Cost: Free to visit, but donations welcome.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour should be fine.

• Miscellaneous:

  • Dresscode: All clothing must cover shoulders and knees. (Wraps provided) Please leave all personal belongings/backpacks inside your vehicle.

  • Shoes must be taken off before climbing the stairs and entering the Mandir.

  • No photography inside the Mandir.

  • One of the unique features inside the Mandir is witnessing their blessing & prayer ritual. This occurs several times a day, but the only time available for public viewing occurs at 11:15AM each day and lasts about 8 minutes. While you’re under no obligation, they do come around and ask for donations during this time.

  • Please visit their website for further details and to find information about tours, classes & events (provided below under “resources”).
    

Sometimes you can travel the world without ever leaving California if you’re willing to brave the traffic. So if you’re looking to experience a little bit of India, you can visit the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, California. That’s certainly a mouthful and can definitely cause some confusion if you’re not familiar with the language or religion, but it’s really easy to understand once you break it down. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan is a specific sect of Hinduism and Mandir means temple or place of worship. So you’ll be exploring a Hindu temple when you visit which happens to be only one of five traditional Mandirs in the entire country.

Completed in 2012, all the pink sandstone that comprises the intricately designed exterior was imported from Rajasthan, India. The interior of the Mandir, which is even more ornate (if you can imagine that) was hard-carved in India with white marble shipped from Carrera, Italy before being sent to the California for installation. As is typical, cameras aren’t allowed inside the Mandir but that’s probably for the best since no photos would do it justice. All I can tell you is that it must be seen in person to be fully appreciated and is every bit worth the drive. Religion aside, you’re truly standing amongst greatness both inside and out because it doesn’t take a man of God, or any Gods, to recognize the virtue of the craftsmanship that saw the Mandir complete. It’s simply mind-boggling and you’ll find yourself lingering a little longer than you had initially planned.

My visit inside the Mandir coincided with a surprise experience. Every day at 11:15AM, you can witness a public viewing of an Arti ceremony (ritual waving of lighted wicks before the Deities). During this short service, you’ll be asked to sit on the marbled floors of the Mandir as several pujari (Hindu priests) give prayers & blessings to the Murtis (sacred images of the Deities and gurus) in front of you. As they continue, an usher will come around with a set of lighted wicks for your very own blessing. Unsure of what I should do, the usher kindly instructed me to wave my hands over the flames and then touch my face per tradition. Similar to a Catholic mass, the usher will then present a donation tray but you’re under no obligation to donate, but why not if you have the means? Once the Arti is complete, you’ll walk around the perimeter of the Mandir several times in ritual fashion. And if you didn’t get your fill there, another ceremony can be enjoyed downstairs. Here you’ll take a small chalice of blessed water and pour it over the figurine of another Murti before circling it several times as you did upstairs. I’ll admit I was a little lost the entire time which is again similar to my experiences during a Catholic mass. I’m a horrible Catholic. But sometimes it’s perfectly fine to lose yourself in the moment. After all, the whole reason we do anything new is to learn a little something in the process, right?

 

RESOURCES:

• BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir website.