BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Nairobi is a Hindu temple in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

, Kenya. Although there were temples in Africa before this, it is the first traditional stone and marble Hindu temple to be constructed on the African continent and was built by

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS; ) is a Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. It was formed in 1905 by Yagnapurushdas (Shastriji Maharaj) following his conviction that Swaminarayan remained present ...

, a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

denomination within the

Swaminarayan Sampradaya The Swaminarayan Sampradaya, also known as Swaminarayan Hinduism and Swaminarayan movement, is a Hindu Vaishnava sampradaya rooted in Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita, characterized by the worship of its charismatic founder Sahajanand Swami, ...

. It was opened on 29 August 1999 by

Pramukh Swami Maharaj Pramukh Swami Maharaj (born Shantilal Patel; ordained Narayanswarupdas Swami; 7 December 1921 – 13 August 2016) was the guru and Pramukh, or president, of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a major branch of t ...

, the 5th spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

Mandir

The Mandir was designed according to the ancient Hindu shilpa shastras and is made from 350 tonnes of yellow

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

from Jesalmer mined from

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, India. The stone was mined and transported to Pindwada, some 400 km to Jesalmer where it was hand-carved by 150 craftsmen. Following two years of carving work, the pieces were shipped to Mombasa, Kenya and assembled in Nairobi like a giant three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.Swaminarayan temple in Kenya
. Ahmedabad.com (September 6, 1999). Accessed December 20, 2007. The interior of the Mandir is unique in that it is made from intricately carved wood. Most traditional Hindu temples have stone interiors but this BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir uses indigenous timber from East Africa, such as camphor,

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

, mvule, Mt. Elgon teak and meru oak. This was exported to India and carved by approximately 250 craftsmen. The Mandir comes complete with shikhars (pinnacles),

stambha A stambha (''tower'' in English) is a pillar or column found in India. In the context of Hindu mythology, it is believed to be a cosmic column that functions as a bond, joining heaven (Svarga) and earth (Prithvi). A number of Hindu scriptures, ...

s (pillars) and ghummats (domes). A team from Kenya visited some of the famous temples and monuments in Rajasthan, Kerala and elsewhere in India before the temple design was finalised.

Haveli

Adjacent to the Mandir is

BAPS Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS; ) is a Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. It was formed in 1905 by Yagnapurushdas (Shastriji Maharaj) following his conviction that Swaminarayan remained present ...

Shri Swaminarayan Haveli. The Haveli, a cultural complex, is a large building which comprises a Prayer Hall, Kitchen, Dining Hall, Concourse, Assembly Hall, Administrative Offices, Gymnasium, Dispensary, Youth Hall and a Centre for social services.

Awards

*On June 27, 2000, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was awarded The Architectural Association of Kenya'
Millennium Award for Excellence in Architecture

Swaminarayan.org (November 21, 2000). Accessed December 20, 2007.

References

{{coord missing, Kenya 1999 establishments in Kenya Asian-Kenyan culture in Nairobi Hindu temples in Kenya Indian-Kenyan culture Religious buildings and structures in Nairobi Religious buildings and structures completed in 1999 Swaminarayan temples