BAPS has constructed over 600 temples all over the world, which are not only centers of spirituality but are also engaged in active social service.
There are more than 640 Swaminarayan temples in 45 countries. The Swaminarayan temple in London is the largest Hindu temple outside India. The Swaminarayan Hindu temples have been erected and are maintained by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha or BAPS in short. The BAPS is an organization engaged in the promotion of spirituality and in social welfare. The founder of this sect of Hinduism in the 18th century was Bhagavan Swaminarayan. The first nine Swaminarayan temples were constructed in Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Muli, Vadtal, Junagadh, Dholera, Dholka, Gadhpur and Jetalpur under the guidance of Bhagavan Swaminarayan himself. BAPS was founded in 1907 under the leadership of Swami Yagnapurushdas. The present head is Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who is the fifth successor to Bhagavan Swaminarayan. Today BAPS is spread over 9000 centers all over the world and has over one million followers.
The grander of the temples are known as “Shikarbaddha Mandirs”. They are built with marble or sandstone and have several pinnacles and domes. Apart from the daily rituals, all Hindu festivals are celebrated in these temples. The temples also include cultural complexes that take care of the social service activities of the organization. By far the most common type of temples is the “Hari Mandir”. This is an existing building converted into a temple. The idols of the deities are smaller as is the scale of operations. BAPS also offers small ready-made ‘temples’ that can be installed in homes as personal shrines. These are made of wood and are about 8 feet in height and of varying width. The temples houses the idols of Bhagavan Swaminarayan and other spiritual leaders.
