Day 4 : Pramukh Swami Maharaj nagar.
<p>The 4th day of the one month long celebration was celebrated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj with all the leading swamis and other dignitaries present over there as the 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. All the dignitaries present over their paid homage and tribute to the efforts made by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in order 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. As mentioned earlier the program was titled as “My Mandir, My Home.”Highlighting Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s universal sentiments supporting mandirs, One of the BAPS scholars Adarshjivandas Swami said, “The life of Pramukh Swami Maharaj is reflected across the whole Nagar, but it i</p>
01:03 PM Dec 19, 2022 IST
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mediology
The 4th day of the one month long celebration was celebrated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj with all the leading swamis and other dignitaries present over there as the 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.
All the dignitaries present over their paid homage and tribute to the efforts made by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in order 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. As mentioned earlier the program was titled as “My Mandir, My Home.”
Highlighting Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s universal sentiments supporting mandirs, One of the BAPS scholars 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.”
Further elaborating 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.”
A beautiful dance performance was further performed by the youth members of BAPS institute not only from India but from Africa too.
Also read: Day 3 : Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar.
Talking about the dignitaries who are where present at the event were:
*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 ji 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 Foundation
Following are some of the 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.
Further programs and events are being outlined for the 5th day of the celebration and it is as follows:
1 Academic Conference: 9.00am to 5.00pm
Theme: Ancient Indian Texts on Temple Architecture and Their Contribution to Modern Practices
Main Speakers for the event:
* 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
2 Evening Assembly: 5.00pm to 7.30pm
Theme: Gurubhakti Din
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