SWAMINARAYAN MANDIR, ANTWERP

Address: Click on Van Breestraat 10, 2018 Antwerpen

Timings

The Swaminarayan temple is a milestone and historical achievement for the community. It lays its foundation at a crucial time as the community enters the extremely fragile phase of the second generation. The Swaminarayan Temple took a miraculous six months to complete and will play a huge role in maintaining the Hindu culture within the large Indian community of Antwerp.

Dozens of dedicated volunteers worked round-the-clock with true heart and compassion to ensure the temple finished in time for Friday's grand opening. The opening day also marked Sharad Purnima: an important festival in the Hindu calendar.

The murtis: (from left to right) Radha Krishna dev, Lord Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami

Swaminarayan Guru Parampara: Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

Volunteers and Saints preparing for the Maha Puja which was performed on Friday morning.

Devotees at the sacred Maha Puja that lasted 2 hours under the presence of approximately 700 people.

Pujya Atmaswarup Swami doing the Praan Pratistha. This process brings life to the idols and introduces the presence of god within them.

Pujya Atmaswarup Swami performing the first aarti (prayer). Aarti will be performed twice a day at the temple and everyone is welcome regardless of their race, culture, color or religion. The timings for the Aarti will be 8.00am and 8.00pm.

Over 65 different varieties of dishes were offered to god

to mark the festival of Annakut on the day of the opening. The riot of colors was simply magical and you just had to see it to believe it. Over 65,000 visitors come to the Annakut festival celebrated each year at the Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden, London. This year it will be celebrated on Sunday 26th of October.

The evening Sabha and Pravachan followed by an entertaining Raas and Garba session on Friday.