BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a Hindu temple complex located in Chino Hills. The complex, completed in 2012, is the fifth traditional Hindu Mandir in North America and the first earthquake-proof Mandir in the world. Growing out of weekly assemblies of devotees in the late 1970s and early 1980s and their first Mandir in Whittier, a site was selected by 2000 and the Haveli building (Visitors Center) was completed in 2007. It is situated on a 20-acre site with a 91-foot lotus-shaped pond. The Mandir is made of Italian Carrara marble and Indian Pink sandstone, and was designed to resemble traditional Hindu temples found in India. From cutting-edge earthquake protection technology to its solar powered electrical system to hand-carved marble archways, this Mandir represents a unique fusion of traditional Indian architecture and modern construction.
Chino Hills, San Bernardino County
Photographer: Jim Albert