BAPS Opens New Mandir In Illinois

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On May 26, the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, BAPS, opened the doors to a new Mandir in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, to serve followers in the town and surrounding areas.

A Vedic Ceremony was conducted by swamis, in which prayers were said for peace and harmony in the world, local community, within families and for individuals.

Volunteers of the congregation sp ent several weeks to get the facility ready for the openin g, often giving 3 to 4 hours on weekdays after work to come and clean as well as work on preparations for the image installation ceremony. “Doing the volunteer work, is a labor of love, for us” one of the m was quoted saying in the press release from BAPS. Another said, “By putting in the effort, we feel proud to call this our Mandir”.

In the recent years, approximately 40 devotees started to attend a biweekly assembly in the Crystal Lake area, usually on Friday nights. They would rent space in local venues for their services. With a growing number of attendees to the services in the area, the congregation found a central location for their local BAPS Mandir. The facility will make it possible to hold weekly services on Saturday afternoons. During week days the Mandir will be open to visitors from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The address for the new BAPS Mandir is 13 Cunts Ct., Lake in the Hills, IL 60156. The phone number for the Mandir is 224-678-7227.

The BAPS Mandir in Bartlett, IL was inaugurated in 2004 by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The Mandir in Bartlett has followers from across Chicagoland attending the Sunday service, with many traveling long distances. Headed by the current spiritual leader who is referred to by devotees as His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the BAPS mandirs across North America are known as a place of worship, and a center for community service. Members of BAPS take part in annual blood donation drives, health fair’s, 5K walks and many other activities.