The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Today, we went and visited BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. The Mandir is Canada's first traditional Hindu place of worship. It is built in Vedic tradition which dates back many millenia. More than 95,000 cu. ft. of hand-carved marble, limestone and sandstone have been assembled without steel in the foundation or structure. Stone structures built in such tradition are known to last for hundreds of years.
24000 pieces of stone were hand carved in India by 400 volunteers for a total of 1000000 hours. All of these pieces were shipped to Toronto and reassembled to form the existing building. It is an amazing place of worship to visit. The hand carvings are incredible to see. The temple is located just off Finch Ave. in Toronto and is free to visit. A museum inside is also worth a visit. It tells of advancements in the sciences and mathematics of India that most people would not be aware of.
Teak from Burma is used in some areas as decorative carvings. A sense of peace and tranquility seems to be within the temple walls. It is worth the trip to experience a touch of what Hinduism is all about.