First Hindu Temple to be Built in China by BAPS (ritual, tradition)

[celina]

First Hindu Temple to be Built in China | ISKCON News

First Hindu Temple to be Built in China

By Ved P. Chaudhary, Ph.D (Hindu Collective Initiative) for Hindu Collective Initiative of North America - Home on 5 Oct 2007

It is one of the grandest Hindu temples in the capital and has been built with a lot of thought and precision. An architectural marvel, the Akshardham temple is the cynosure of all eyes.
Soon a replica of it will be constructed, thousands of miles away in China. The first Hindu temple in communist China.
The Chinese government has invited the Swaminarayan Trust that runs the Akshardham temples in Noida and in Gandhinagar, to build a similar temple.
A huge piece of land has been earmarked in Fohsan state, which will not only house the temple but also an Indian cultural centre.
"Initial thoughts are to have a cultural centre also along with the temple, a traditional Indian music learning centre and also various Indian language teaching centres including Hindi, on this temple premises," said Jagat Shah, Joint Secretary-General, Indo-China Trade Council.
The Swaminarayan Trust has welcomed the decision, saying there's much more to it than the religious angle.
"This decision taken by Chinese government, letting the Hindus build a temple in China is to be appreciated highly. Its not only question of spirituality but also in many other ways both the countries will benefit. There will also be cultural exchange between people living in these two countries and that outcome will help in spiritual and physical growth of citizens of India and China," said Jasraj Maharaj, religious guru in the Swaminarayan Sect.
A core team of the trust is busy preparing the final design plan. Members of the team and the Indo-China Trade Council are expected to visit the proposed temple site soon.
A team of officials from one of China's prestigious construction companies that will execute the project is now in India to study the architecture of Swaminarayan temple.
"China is also very good at construction and especially our company actually focuses on various types of construction designs. I think this being a joint venture with Indian partner, design from India and construction from China, this temple will be the masterpiece," said Xiaojun Lee, Secretary of Board, Panzhihua Guanghua Group, PR China.
The first Hindu temple in the land of dragons will not just be a temple but the hub of cultural exchange between India and China.

[Don Penguinoini]

I heard. The Chinese government are looking forward to it. It will draw mroe indians to the nation, the want that.

[celina]

Originally Posted by penguino

I heard. The Chinese government are looking forward to it. It will draw mroe indians to the nation, the want that.

i'm glad BAPS is building the first hindu temple there, mahesh is probably crying right now!

[Pariah]

Originally Posted by celina

i'm glad BAPS is building the first hindu temple there, mahesh is probably crying right now!

Aren't you and Mahesh part of Swaminarayan?

[celina]

Originally Posted by Pariah

Aren't you and Mahesh part of Swaminarayan?

yes, a different sect of Swaminarayan. He's from the Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya I'm from BAPS.

[Pariah]

Originally Posted by celina

yes, a different sect of Swaminarayan. He's from the Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya I'm from BAPS.

My Gods. It just goes to show how splintered our religion really is.

[celina]

Originally Posted by Pariah

My Gods. It just goes to show how splintered our religion really is.

Lol, calm down their are like 6 different Swaminarayan sects. It happens with all religions, there just different interpretations. Nothing wrong with that. People are allowed have different interpretation and paths in Hinduism.

[Don Penguinoini]

IM still identified as a hindu, not swaminarayan.

[anders]

Originally Posted by celina

An architectural marvel, the Akshardham temple is the cynosure of all eyes. [...] The Chinese government has invited the Swaminarayan Trust that runs the Akshardham temples in Noida and in Gandhinagar, to build a similar temple.

I have visited several holy places of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism in India. The most commercial and generally uninteresting site was the very recently constructed Delhi Akshardham thing. From the entrance security that allowed no dangerous things like folding umbrellas or credit card size calculators to the too distant exit, it was a pain.

[Don Penguinoini]

I dont think youd know, but, muslim terrorists attacked the other akshardham coplex in gandhinagar, gujarat. Standard security, a bomb could be ANYWHERE. It's not commercial, BAPS is not commercial. It has helped many in the wrold with the relief efforts, but then again, you would avoid this. Sure there are the bad eggs in the faith, but then, ALL fiaths have that. UNINTERESTING? My god. The complex is beatiful. It is the most rearding part of delhi. It has more trees then Connaught Square. It is interesting. Didnt go on teh boat ride, or watch the IMAX film, or even get a tour did you? Im 100% sure you had assumptions of akshardham before you went to it.