– Dignitaries pay tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj
for his unique spiritual and cultural creations worldwide
Ahmedabad :- His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj along with other leading swamis and dignitaries celebrated Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s establishment of 1,231 mandirs worldwide before an assembly of tens of thousands during the fourth evening programme of the Pramukh Swami Maharaj Centenary Celebrations in Ahmedabad on Sunday 18 December.
Dignitaries paid tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s efforts to re-envision and rejuvenate the ancient mandir tradition in Hinduism that rekindled spirituality, preserved and propagated humanity’s invaluable spiritual heritage, and served society and the world.
The programme celebrating mandirs was titled, “My Mandir, My Home.” It commenced with over 150 children and youths from 19 countries presenting a devotional symphony using 33 different Indian instruments.
Highlighting Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s universal sentiments supporting mandirs, BAPS scholar Adarshjivandas Swami said, “The life of Pramukh Swami Maharaj is reflected across the whole Nagar, but it is nowhere more evident than at the majestic ‘Sant Dwar’ welcome gateway. The ‘Sant Dwar’ portrays various holy sages and avatars of India because Pramukh Swami Pramukh Swami had immense reverence for holy people irrespective of age, organization or religion. His continued reverence, respect and support for all holy people and causes were firmly rooted in the belief that, ultimately, all are engrossed in positive activities for the betterment of humanity. Moreover, Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s respect was not only for people but also places of worship which he supported at all times.”
Memories of Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s work in mandir construction were rekindled through the kirtan, “Avo Nirakhiye Mandir”.
Elaborating on the subject of ‘The Unique Mandir Creator: Pramukh Swami Maharaj’, BAPS scholar Aksharvatsaldas Swami said, “Noted scholar, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy has noted that mandirs of wood were built during the Vedic era. While excavating Dholavira and other sites of ancient Indian civilization, different murtis and temples have been found in the people’s homes. We can still witness the grandeur of ancient mandirs like Jagganath Puri, the Sun Temple at Konark, Rameshwaram, Terracota Temples in Bishnupur Bengal. Immense faith, dedication and devotion went into the creation and sustenance of these temples. Hindus made mandirs wherever they went. We can witness Angkor Wat Mandir in Cambodia. In the 18th century, Bhagwan Swaminarayan started a new era of mandir creation, which continued throughout his spiritual lineage until the world was with the master-builder of mandirs, Pramukh Swami Maharaj. From when Pramukh Swami Maharaj became the guru of BAPS in 1971 until he passed away in 2016, he built 1,231 mandirs worldwide that transformed the lives of millions. Every mandir created by Pramukh Swami Maharaj around the world is like an embassy of Indian Hindu heritage. Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s mandirs inspired youths towards spirituality and service. Thus, when thousands of students were stranded in the Russia-Ukraine War, volunteers from the BAPS mandirs in London and New Jersey began relief work for them immediately. During the COVID pandemic, BAPS mandirs played an essential role in relief work globally.”
Beautiful dances celebrating mandirs were performed by BAPS youths from India and Africa.
Dignitaries present at today’s evening programme included:
Padmashri Dr. Ramakant Panda, Chief Consultant for cardio-thoracic surgery and Vice Chairman & Managing Director of the Asian Heart Institute
His Holiness Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, Treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust
Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary and Executive & Academic Head of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi
Shivakumar Sundaram, Chairman, Executive Committee of Bennett Coleman & Company (Times of India Group)
Yashwant Shukla, Charity Commissioner of the Government of Gujarat Gagjibhai Sutariya, President of Sardardham Ratibhai Patel, President of the Vishv Umiya FoundationGagjibhai Sutariya, President of Sardardham, said, “I congratulate those who are beautifully and successfully managing and coordinating these celebrations. BAPS is uniting the world. Pramukh Swami Maharaj taught me that true devotion benefits family, society and nation.”
Ratibhai Patel, President of the Vishv Umiya Foundation, said, “Pramukh Swami ignited the light of service around the world, directing the power of youth for the betterment of society. He was responsible for fostering greater harmony amongst humanity. BAPS temples have become centres of humanity and culture. The foundations to rekindle spirituality within people across the world were developed through BAPS temples and the intense labours of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. BAPS’s efforts to uplift society through the building of temples is truly praiseworthy.”
Sachchidanand Joshi, Executive and Academic Head of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi, said, “After witnessing the beauty of this Nagar and programme, I feel that from now onwards, this Nagar will be the benchmark for the definition of grandeur for the world. Pramukh Swami Maharaj has built thousands of temples in the world, which will inspire people for generations. Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s mammoth task of creating temples, was not just about creating houses of worship, but also about creating centres of education and social service that revived our heritage and spiritual tradition.”
Dr. Ramakant Panda, Chief Consultant for cardio-thoracic surgery and Vice-Chairman & Managing Director of the Asian Heart Institute, said, “While I run the country’s best heart hospital and have operated on more than 29,000 with world-leading outcomes, receiving Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s blessings three times in my life have been the greatest moments of my life in which I felt a powerful, transformative divinity.
“In almost 50 years as guru of BAPS, Pramukh Swami Maharaj wrote 750,000 letters, visited 250,000 homes in 17,000 villages, built 1,500 temples, hospitals and hostels, initiated 1,100 saints, created hospitals that treated 8 million patients and mobile hospitals that treated 6 million. His direct connection with the lives of millions can be seen in the 80,000 volunteers who created this magnificent festival site, each of them having been directly blessed in various ways in all aspects of their life by Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
“Truly, I have never seen something like this Nagar. This celebration has everything one needs to learn to succeed in my life. What Pramukh Swami Maharaj has done since 1971 until the end of his life, it is humanly impossible, unthinkable. But if we take his blessings and follow his example, all of us can achieve things of great significance in our life.”
His Holiness Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, Treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said, “Every moment here is divine and can tell you that I need to be here at least 3 days to learn, understand and follow the path indicated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. This is my learning that the only place to develop a divine, vast and inclusive vision one has to come here. Pramukh Swami belonged to everybody and everyone believes Pramukh Swami is theirs. I am here to bow my head to that person who showered the whole world with love. Pramukh Swami Maharaj was a true sadhu, a true renunciate. He himself was the manifestation of a temple. Akshardham was built to last a thousand years but the volunteers built by Pramukh Swami Maharaj are the immortal temples built by him. His inspirations to lead a better life are those that will last forever. The most difficult task is to mould humans and Pramukh Swami Maharaj took this most difficult of tasks and created great humans and unified society. We haven’t seen Adi Shankaracharya or Samarth Ramdas or any one else, but we have seen the qualities of all these in Pramukh Swami Maharaj and we are blessed to have experienced his love.”
Shivakumar Sundaram, Chairman, Executive Committee of Bennett Coleman & Company (Times of India Group), said, “I bow to the selfless service and dedication of the volunteers here who have made the world a better place through their service to society and humanity. Helping people lead a better life is service to God. The common thread in every activity of BAPS and Pramukh Swami Maharaj has been service to humanity. I have seen and felt today how he has touched and made a difference in the lives of so many people, personally and through mandirs. Mandirs are places vibrating with energy that have the power to transform human lives. Through such mandirs, BAPS has touched millions of lives, inspiring thousands of youths to give up addictions and pledge to lead addiction-free lives.
“The enormity of the tasks and accomplishments, the size and scale of this very place we are seeing today requires the blessings of the divine. Everything in life happens with the blessings of the divine. Sometimes it takes a whole lifetime and the blessings of the divine to be able to enter the temple under the watchful eyes of a guru. Mahant Swami Maharaj and the swamis here are offering that opportunity to each one of us today. The mammoth Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar which I had the good fortune of visiting this afternoon featuring a variety of exhibitions and attractions has one common theme – service to humanity is service to God. It teaches us that religion, spirituality and community service are not separate things – they are deeply connected. Our religion is a way of life. We all have the same daily routine from waking up to sleeping, but what differentiates us is our service.”
Yashwant Shukla, Charity Commissioner of the Government of Gujarat, said, “As Charity Commissioner of Gujarat, I can say with confidence that of all the mandirs in Gujarat, BAPS mandirs would rank first in terms of cleanliness and tidiness. They have become examples for others as well.”
In conclusion, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj blessed the assembly. He said, “Pramukh Swami Maharaj would always say that a mandir is a place where the mind finds peace. Although great rishis have been overcome by their mind, the mandir grants the mind stability. Many have experienced peace upon entering the mandir. The problems that assail them fade away. This is the work of a mandir. Pramukh Swami Maharaj has said the mandir is a place to realise God. So, do not see the mandir as just a pile of stones. While it appears to be made of stone, each stone is infused with a divine life-force. Pramukh Swami Maharaj has said that a mandir is a factory for making an ideal human. So, while mandirs may externally appear to be mere edifices, those with the power of discernment realise the profound transformative power of mandirs.”
Facts about Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s creation and fostering of mandirs worldwide:
In addition to the mandirs built in India, Pramukh Swami Maharaj paid tribute to the Sanatan Hindu avatars, acharyas, deities, swamis and devotees by building over 150 mandirs outside of India.
Through the creation of traditional mandirs in places including London, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Toronto, New Jersey and Nairobi, Pramukh Swami Maharaj fostered Hinduism in every corner of the world. These mandirs have been honoured with hundreds of awards for being mediums in spreading peace, love, harmony and social service.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj was awarded Guinness World Records for the most Hindu mandirs consecrated by a single person, as well as for Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Delhi, which was honoured as the ‘World’s Largest Comprehensive Hindu Temple’.
In 1998, the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu mandir in Neasden, London, ranked among the ‘70 Modern Wonders of the World’ by Reader’s Digest.
In the lineage of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Mahant Swami Maharaj is continuing to create mandirs worldwide. An unprecedented mandir is being constructed in Abu Dhabi, along with Akshardham Mandirs in New Jersey and Surat. Furthermore, BAPS Hindu mandirs are under construction in other cities across the globe such as Paris, Sydney, Johannesburg, Jodhpur and Ahmedabad and are serving as magnificent havens for social and spiritual uplift.
Outline for Tomorrow at Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar
Monday 19 December 2022
Academic Conference: 9.00am to 5.00pm
Theme: Ancient Indian Texts on Temple Architecture and Their Contribution to Modern Practices
Main Speakers:
C.R. Raju, President of the Indian Institute of Architects
Balkrishna Doshi, eminent architect of India
Dr. Shri Krishna Jugnu, renowned historian of Indian art and architecture
Dr. Parul Pandya Dhar, Professor of Art History, University of Delhi
