BAPS in Africa(Nairobi Mahotsav)

BAPS in Africa

Highlights:

By the divine wish of Lord Swaminarayan, Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj initiated Satsang activities on the African Continent.

"Try. Satsang will grow." With these blessings, Shastriji Maharaj gave this sanctified murti of Shri Akshar Purushottam Maharaj to the devotees of East Africa. With it, the first Swaminarayan Mandir outside India was inaugurated in 1945.

With the blessings of Shastriji Maharaj, hundreds of inspirational letters for the growth of Satsang, were written by Sadguru Nirgundas Swami to the devotees of East Africa. Dedicated devotees like Maganbhai and Harmanbhai sacrificed their lives for Satsang.

Brahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj sanctified the African continent by visiting it three times. He travelled to many cities, towns and remote villages to inspire Satsang in the lives of countless people.

Yogiji Maharaj inaugurated five mandirs in East Africa. A further five mandirs have been inaugurated by Pragat Brahmaswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj. These mandirs serve society by preserving and promoting traditional Hindu values and culture.

Through nine visits Pramukh Swami Maharaj has sanctified the African continent . In 1995, Swamishri launched the project for a new majestic Shikharbaddha Mandir in Nairobi. By the efforts of dedicated devotees and the support of many well-wishers, this Mandir project has been completed in the short span of over three years.

History:
In 1927, Shastriji Maharaj, the founder and the then spiritual leader of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, (BAPS), blessed Maganbhai Patel to spread the message of Satsang in East Africa.
In 1945, the first murtis of Akshar and Purushottam were established in a small mandir in Nairobi.
In 1955, Yogiji Maharaj inaugurated the first BAPS mandir in Mombasa and subsequently in 1960 established mandirs in Kampala, Jinja and Tororo (Uganda).
In 1970, the culmination of Yogiji Maharaj’s visit to Nairobi was the consecration of a mandir in Nairobi.
After the demise of Yogiji Maharaj, Pramukh Swami Maharaj fostered the universal spirit of Hinduism through discourses, personal home visits, mandirs and festivals on the soil of East Africa. In 1977, Pramukh Swami Maharaj established two mandirs in Dar-es-Salaam and Mwanza (in Tanzania). In 1991 new mandirs were established in Johannesburg (S. Africa) and Eldoret in Kenya. Mandirs in Kampala and Jinja were reopened.The Sanstha also has Cultural centers and Prayer halls in Nakuru, Kisumu, Kakamega, Kericho (all in Kenya), Arusha (Tanzania), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare (Zimbabwe), Gaborone (Botswana) and Durban (South Africa).
In 1995, the foundation stone laying ceremony for the mammoth five-pinnacled mandir in Nairobi was performed. In a short span of over three years the mandir - a miracle of volunteerism and craftsmanship - is now ready and will be inaugurated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj on 29th August 1999.