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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston

by Jill Jarvis Leave a Comment

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Everywhere you look at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is hand carved marble. 

The columns, the fence posts, the secondary buildings and the Mandir… inside and out… are covered with hand carved stone. And when we visited, we sat and watched the craftsmen make repairs with the sander and delicate tools, for quite a long time.

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

The Mandir is the first traditional Hindu Mandir of its kind in North America and is made from 33,000 pieces of Italian marble and Turkish limestone… and it is open to visitors, for free, 9:00am-8:00pm daily (and you can see the latest information HERE).

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

We went to the Mandir on a weekday morning at opening time. We drove through an industrial area off the highway, and then next to apartment complexes, and then out of no where were bright white pinnacles, topped with flags.

 

It was pretty easy to see that we were in the right place, so we drove around until we found an entrance and found a parking spot in the lot.

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

Here we saw the Mandir and the surrounding buildings. And the gift shop and restrooms were not made from a cheaper material… every thing was covered in hand carved stone.

 

We walked around the property, just trying to take in the scale of this place.

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

We then went to the Mandir to figure out the proper etiquette for going inside. A tour guide was there, waiting for a field trip to arrive, and told us to leave our shoes in women’s room and to go in with bare feet or socks.

 

We were wrapped in jackets, but the rules also say that clothing must cover shoulders and knees (and wraps are provided). Also, the rules say that photography is allowed outside, but not inside the Mandir. Cell phones must also be switched off.

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

We walked up the steps with bare feet, which was cold and bumpy and fun for my youngest son. Inside we were greeted with a visitor guide and told about the Mandir. This is also where we saw the craftsmen.

 

We stood at the side of the Mandir and watch the amazing work. The craftsmen waved and were happy to have an enthusiastic audience.

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

Just like the outside, the entire inside was covered in carvings. The columns, the ceiling, the walls. It was really amazing.

 

As we were watching the carving, a Christian high school came in with the tour guide and learned about the Mandir. We listened for a while and then headed back outside.

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

Afterwards we went across the yard to the gift store. This store smells delicious with many Indian food supplies. It looked like at lunch time they would also have a cafe to feed hungry visitors.

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

We picked up some banana chips, spicy dried chickpeas and a drink before heading out for the morning.

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

The trip to the Mandir was really unlike anything else in Houston. It is open every day, it is free and there was really no reason for us to wait so long to go.

 

If your kids can take a hand for a few minutes, I encourage you to visit the Mandir as well. (And if you are still in a wild-run-and-touch-everything-stage wait a month or a year and then go to the Mandir. It will be there.)

See more pictures below and go HERE to learn more about BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston!

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

 

 

BigKidSmallCity.com HoustonParentsMagazine BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

 

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston:

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston BigKidSmalCity HoustonParents Magazine Pin

Address:  1150 Brand Lane, Stafford, Texas 77477

 

 

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Filed Under: All, Things to do February 28, 2016

About Jill Jarvis

Jill Jarvis is the owner of JillBJarvis.com, a BigKidSmallCity.com and Things to Do in Houston, with Kids, blog!

She is the mom of 4 and started the website years ago... when she was tired of constantly cleaning up the same mess in the family room.

Another mom showed her that you could just go do fun things in Houston, without hours of planning.

This inspired the blog and changed everything about how she enjoyed life in Houston, with kids!

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jill-jarvis-bigkidsmallcity-circle-300 Welcome!  JillBJarvis.com is the go-to blog for things to do in Houston with kids!  It is upbeat and dedicated to making our big city feel small.   START HERE!    

On this website you will find a full list of Houston weekly events, things to do around the city, travel ideas and resources for parents.

I know just what it’s like to be overwhelmed by work, life and family. I spent a lot of years traveling for work, missing big milestones for my kids and feeling bad about everything.

I started this website to make a list of all the events happening around Houston and then pick one to enjoy with my kids. And instead of thinking of all the things I was missing, I started to enjoy the things we were doing together.

If you are a parent that is feeling overwhelmed by all the things you could be doing in Houston… please just use our weekly lists and daily posts as suggestions. Pick one thing to do with your family and intentionally ignore the rest!

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