Inside California’s largest traditionally built Hindu temple | Bartell's Backroads

Inside California’s Largest Traditionally Built Hindu Temple | Bartell's Backroads

As the sun rises over Chino Hills just outside Los Angeles, the noise of cars and traffic fades, giving way to a sense of calm at the BAPS Hindu Mandir.

“A Mandir, the term is a Sanskrit word which splits up into two parts. MAN, which means 'mind.' DIR, which means 'still.' So when you kind of look at the place, it's where the mind becomes still,” said volunteer Mehul Patel.

Made from more than 35,000 pieces of individually hand-carved stone, the structure is the largest traditionally built Hindu mandir in California.

“In ancient India scriptures, it dictates that the mandir should be designed as a form of God. Imagine at its base level being the feet, kind of the foundation being the legs and the knees, up to the top where you'll see the spires being the head, with the flags being the hair,” Patel said.

Visitors remove their shoes before entering the temple, a place of worship open to anyone and maintained by volunteers like Patel, who offered a closer look inside.

“You can see that no part of the stone has been left uncarved,” Patel said. 

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The mandir was completed in 2012, though its architectural style dates back to the fourth or fifth century, when decorated stone structures were built by stacking pieces without mortar or cement.

“Because there's no structural kind of steel used for kind of structural support, very similar to other kind of ancient architectural technologies. We have an eight-ton stone here and a seven-ton stone here that kind of locked… imagine the weight of the stone in all the pieces,” Patel said. 

The stonework reflects an art passed down through generations of artisans who use primitive tools. Inside the mandir, a museum showcases Hindu architecture and includes tools used in the construction.

“So, as I mentioned, this entire mandir was hand-carved. And so our skilled artisans kind of really took the hammer and a chisel to really hand carve every single piece of stone,” Patel said. 

While many mandirs in India have stood for centuries without modern engineering, this structure sits near a fault line. Builders incorporated earthquake protections known as "base isolators."

“When an earthquake hits, I think up to about an eight on the Richter scale, the whole entire mandir can shift 27 inches in either direction,” Patel said.

Intricate carvings and shrines fill the space inside and out, blending ancient design with modern life in Southern California. But Patel said the deeper purpose goes beyond architecture or religion.

“We really believe that at its core, we are human first. And therefore, in places like this, we can come together as humans, worship in community, be in community with one another. And that's kind of the message we hope that everybody takes away,” Patel said.

ANOTHER SPIRITUAL SITE TO VISIT ON THE BACKROADS:  The Sea Ranch Chapel was built by a team of artists as a place for curious travelers to discover, reflect and spiritually reconnect.