The Swaminarayan Faith

[celina]

Musical Fountains / Yagnapurush Kund

 

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Vvibhuti Mandovar


Pari Krama

 

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Narayan Pith

Gajendra Pith

 

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Pillars

 

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Carvings

 

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Mandapams / Domes

 

[celina]

 

[celina]

 

[Hema]

Here's a list.

http://www.mandirnet.org/usa_states/slil.html

Edit:
Searched for Hindu temple near Schaumburg. Turned up http://www.hindutempleoflakecounty.org/

Thank you so much. :bow: Frubals! :yes:

 

[Hema]

Thanks again for sharing all those lovely pictures with us. I enjoyed them immensely. :yes: I noticed that you mentioned a ritual of rocking a murti by pulling a string. For Krishna Janamasthami - Shri Krishna's birth, Hindus in Trinidad rock a murti of Shri Krishna in a hammock-like contraption.

 

[Moses the God Archetype*]

Hindola Utsav


Every year, during the monsoon months of Ashadh and Shravan (July - August) the mandirs in India and abroad are awash with devotion. The arrival of the Hindola Utsav during these months usher a new breeze of bhakti and festivity in the mandirs of India. For one whole month, the chal (mobile) murti of the Lord is placed in a hindola and pulled to and fro with a string. The sadhus and devotees sing the hindola bhajans with the accompaniment of the mrudang and cymbals. The mandir ambience is charged with the sound and fragrance of bhakti.


The festival finds its origin in the streets of Vrundavan 5000 years ago where the Gopis rocked Lord Krishna on a decorated swing. Ever since, to experience the divine joy of rocking the mighty Lord in a small swing, the hindola festival became the focus of devotion.
Even Lord Swaminarayan was revered and entertained by the devotees through their devotion. Once in Vartal, a decorative hindolo was tied to a couple of mango trees, and the devotees rocked the Lord to and fro. In response to their devotion, the Lord, while standing in the hindola, appeared in twelve divine forms and blessed the devotees. History also reveals that Lord Swaminarayan often sat on a swing tied between two tamarind trees at Laxmivadi in Gadhada.
Today, in memory of the Lord's divine sports, the hindola festival is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm at all Swaminarayan mandirs. It is an aesthetic experience of devotion to the Lord, requiring meticulous preparation by sadhus and devotees to produce hindolas of a variety of colors, shapes and forms. The hindolas are made of vegetables,leaves, flowers, earthen pots, fruits, dry fruits, beans, rakhis, chocolates, steel dishes and cups, etc.

http://www.swaminarayan.org/rituals/hindola/photo/photo2006.htm

Hahahaha.....(estatic laughter) Yes swaminarayan was indeed a partial incarnation of the lord (amsa) and therefore inspires bhakti in me in a positive way and thank you for explaining the connection between my lordship and swaminarayan, but i do have a ? where's lord balaram did he incarnate with him during this advent, if so what was his name.

 

[celina]

Hahahaha.....(estatic laughter) Yes swaminarayan was indeed a partial incarnation of the lord (amsa) and therefore inspires bhakti in me in a positive way and thank you for explaining the connection between my lordship and swaminarayan, but i do have a ? where's lord balaram did he incarnate with him during this advent, if so what was his name.

Lord Swaminarayan has the same birthday as Sri Rama. He is not an incarnation of Rama. To Swaminarayan devotees he is the source of all incarnations, not just an avatar. I worship him as supreme being, above all else. :yes:

 

[celina]

Murti Pratishtha of Shri Nilkanth Varni

http://www.swaminarayan.org/news/2001/12/bharuch/photo1.htm

 

[celina]

News of BAPS - Photo Gallery - Pratishtha of Shri Nilkanth Varni: page 1

 

[Hema]

Lord Swaminarayan has the same birthday as Sri Rama. He is not an incarnation of Rama. To Swaminarayan devotees he is the source of all incarnations, not just an avatar. I worship him as supreme being, above all else. :yes:

Shri Ram was an avatar of Vishnu. Do you consider Lord Swaminarayan an avatar of Vishnu? Ah well, it's just one God anyway. So, he was an avatar of God!

 

[Aupmanyav]

Unfortunate, so many pages, ceilings, carvings, buildings; and not one word of wisdom, other than the contention that Swaminarayan is an avatara of Lord Vishnu. There have already been nine avataras ending with Buddha and the tenth, Kalki, to come only at the end of the Yuga. I do not know from where in the last century, so many Bhagawans have come up, Swaminarayan, Shirdi Sai, and Puttaparthy Sai. There are hundreds of others, Balyogeshwar also being one of them (he was a minister in the cabinet of P.V.Narasimharao of the suitcase fame). The escapades of the Nathdwara Swami in Bombay are welknown, the Vadthal Swamis have been exposed, I hope the BAPS Swamis are not like that. If all these are avataras, then you and me are also avataras. Are we any other than Brahman?

Hindus wake up. These people are only fooling you. Keep to your tradition. And as Swami Sivananda used to say, realize your own divineness.

 

[celina]

Shri Ram was an avatar of Vishnu. Do you consider Lord Swaminarayan an avatar of Vishnu? Ah well, it's just one God anyway. So, he was an avatar of God!

In the swaminarayan faith, Nilkanth Varsi(Swaminarayan) is considered the source of all incarnation. The swaminarayan faith is montheistic, viewing him as the highest authority. All other incarnations are subordinate to him. :bow:

Jai Swaminarayan :angel2: