NEW JERSEY TEMPLES_PROGRAMMES_AUG 2014
NEW JERSEY TEMPLES World's Largest Hindu Temple Being Built in New Jersey BY FRANCES KAI-HWA WANG The world’s largest Hindu temple is about to open in Robbinsville, New Jersey. The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Shri Swaminarayan temple, known as a mandir, is a 162-acre complex which broke ground in 2009 and is set for completion in 2017. According to The Times of India , 2,000 artisans in Rajasthan are hand-crafting the temples in Italian and Rajasthani marble. The finished pieces are then assembled in New Jersey by a team of master craftsmen. The first phase of the project, The Great Prayer Hall -- with seating for 1000 people -- and Shikharbaddh Mandir temple will be inaugurated in August 2014. Remaining construction includes a youth activity center, visitor’s center and food court, and a second, larger temple, the Great Akshardham Mandir, expected to be completed in 2017. The current Guinness Book o...