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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

About

The Mandir During the Day

"BAPS" is short for Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a beautiful temple in Toronto, Ontario. It is open to the public most days. The website contains information on hours, and information about the rules for visiting the temple (there is a fairly strict dress code, no shoes are allowed, no cell phones, no photography, no food/drinks, etc).

We visited the temple not knowing anything about the religion or customs of the occupants, but were greeted warmly and did not feel out of place. We were visiting to appreciate the architecture of the building. Apparently, all of the marble was carved in India, shipped over to Canada, and assembled piece by piece to build the structure.

As of the date visited, there was still minor construction on both the interior and exterior. Parts of the parking lot were under construction, as was a fence, and some of the landscaping. On the interior, some of the wood was not fully stained, although it still looked beautiful.

In the above figure, there are two buildings connected by an above-ground tunnel. The building to the left, which contains some wood, is the current entranceway. The building to the right, which is made entirely of white marble, is the Mandir. To enter the Mandir, you must first enter the building on the left, and then proceed through the tunnel.

The Outside

Note the incredible detail in the spires

There are a lot of pictures I wanted to include here, because there are just so many things to see on the outside of the building. We walked around the outside for about 30 minutes admiring the incredibly intricate carvings that adorn the building before venturing inside. (Pictures were permitted on the outside of the buildings).

The mandir itself is made entirely of marble, all of which is carved with incredible detail. The pictures really don't do it justice - to fully appreciate it, you need to see it for yourself.

The building with the entrance is constructed using a large amount of wood. All the wood surfaces are carved as intricately as the marble. The whole building is just covered with many tiny, hand-carved patterns.

The Inside

Part of a door at the entrance. Even the door is covered with intricate patterns.

Unfortunately, no pictures were permitted on the inside of the building, so no pictures will be posted here. (The official website does contain a few pictures of the interior, so if you are curious, you can check it out there. Unfortunately, the pictures are nothing like being there.)

After entering and removing your shoes, you are in a large entranceway that contains a TV showing a promotional video extolling the virtues of the religion, and talking about the humanitarian efforts that are undertaken. There is (what I assume is) a prayer room behind the TV area.

After glancing at the prayer room, you can proceed down the hallway towards the Mandir. Depending on the time of the day you go, you may be able to see the Deities. Each Deity has its own room, but the rooms are closed (when we visited) from noon until 4:00pm, to allow the deity time to rest. (We did manage to see one Deity, as the door was open so the back side could have the stain applied to the wood. The Deities are life-sized statues that are part of the religious ceremonies conducted here).

After entering the Mandir, you will proceed up a set of marble stairs. (There are signs that remind you to remain silent at this point). The whole building is made of marble, and is incredibly beautiful. After arriving at the top of the stairway, you enter an area that feels like a "white forest". There are marble columns, and marble "vines" between the columns. The marble columns are covered with hand-carved figures and patterns. Each figure is slightly different. There is a soft blue lighting in this room that beautifully accents the white marble. Expect to spent 15-20 minutes in this room just walking around, admiring all the intricate carvings. (Be sure to take a look at the ceiling - it is also beautifully carved).

When you are finished looking around the Mandir, you can descend a different set of stairs. There is a museum on the main floor that we didn't go into. Entrance to the museum was $5. There is also a donations desk, and a "gift shop" that offers books and shirts for sale. When you are finished, you can reclaim your shoes and proceed back outside through the same doors you arrived in.

Estimated Visiting Time

More intricate carvings

If you rush through, you can probably see everything in one hour. Two hours will allow a more relaxed pace to admire the intricate carvings and architecture inside and outside the building.