BAPS Swami Narayan Temple, Houston

New Swami Narayan Temple Building Inaugurated in July 2004

This new temple in Houston area, is first of its kind in North America.

It was inaugurated on Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Pramukh Swami.

BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Stafford, Texas is the first traditional, stone and marble Mandir (temple) in North America.

It took about two-and-a-half years to build.

It's stone and marble were brought from India.

The 73-foot-tall temple was constructed according to requirements from ancient Hindu scriptures. About 3,000 craftsmen across India carved the temple out of Turkish limestone and Italian marble. The 11,500-square-foot covered open-air temple and its surrounding 25,620-square-foot deck was then shipped in pieces to Texas and assembled.

Though at first it seems constructed of textured stone, a close look at the temple's facade and columns reveals a dizzying interplay of countless carvings of deities, dancers, musicians, elephants, horses, flowers and geometric designs.

Construction began in March 2002, and finishing touches were made up to the last minute.

In July 2004, leaders of the organization said that it cost about $7 million so far to build the temple, and that most of the labor was donated.

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