baps shri swaminarayan mandir

A very welcoming place to experience another culture. Try to get a tour guide to explain this beautiful place

It is beautiful temple I ever seen in temple. Excellent architecture. Very peaceful and nice. Must seen temple if you are close by.

The first thing we could feel is the serene setting and a place filled with such peace. Once we entered, the informative walls while we went from the Haveli to the Mandir were so capturing that we probably spent around 30 minutes reading the nicely done and descriptive posters.The woodwork and stonework at the Haveli and the Mandir were so wonderful that my son spent a couple of hours looking at them, completely awed. If you want to show your kids what results patience can derive, this is the place to show them...Saw 4 peacocks and peahens as well around the Haveli.Great tasting food, simple yet filling and satisfying - Srikhand was too good.

I used to stay pretty close by and visited Swami Narayana temple very often. Extremely tranquil and well kept. They probably also have the best Indian food & snack in and around chicagoland area. Apart from all that and most importantly, this place look very beautiful irrespective of the season. Its considered one of the 10 moderns architectures in Chicago.

Most peace that i have ever felt in my life, everything was perfect and beautiful. I wish i could never leave and be there always.

The architecture in this temple is very awesome. We reached the temple in the afternoon hence had to wait for long to see God. The Indian food was really good. It is a must visit for Indians travelling to USA.

For Indians visiting Chicago, this is a MUST stop. The architecture is good, carvings are beautiful and fill one with awe. Food is also good and those starved of Indian food will love it here.The prayer halls fill one with serenity and peaceful feelings

They have very rude staff, and their photography policy is a joke. I and my girlfriend visited this place today. She likes Indian culture so I brought her to see the mandir. When we were walking around, I tried to take some photos for her as our hobby. Then there was a very rude man stopped me to taking photos. I explained that upon their policy on the website, outdoor photography should be allowed but he did not recognize that at all. Some reason their staff used to stop me was like "no professional camera". I was using a nikon camera released 6 years before. It is a DSLR but it only delivers picture size smaller than many smart phones today. So it is impossible for me to do commercial. I explained to the staff "we are couples" "we just shoot for fun" and even I can promise not to publish the photos at all. But no one answers me.Moreover, what I must state is even if I was doing commercial, they have no right to stop me because that was not prohibited in their policy. If they do want to protect the place from being used by commercial photography, they should write that in their policy, not relying on those Rude Guys!I also find racism opinion in their staff's words because he mentioned a reason to stop us was “she’s wearing saree". He even said “yes others can wearing saree but she cannot, you must leave in 5 minutes”. Yes, my girlfriend is not Indian, but she has the right to wear saree and that right is protected by the law. Why don't he stop those Indian girls wearing saree from taking photos? I do respect the dressing code at many places for culture and religious reason, like those of Islam temple. But I cannot find any words in their policy about "only Indian girls can wear saree" or "If a non-Indian girl is wearing saree, no photography using DLSR is allowed". If their staff do have some opinion like this, PLEASE write that in the policy, and I will never ever visiting this place at all.

When with my mom to see the gardens, fountains, and the Mandir. The guide was lovely and kind. I wore a skirt but it was above my knees so they gave me a robe to cover. Pants are ok, shirtst must cover your shoulders. Shoes are not allowed in the mandir so bring socks or be prepared to go barefoot. The temple is astounding. Once inside you are silent to view the statues and read a little about their names and history. The carvings are spectacular. What a special place.

Taj-Mahal without traveling to India? The BAPS Mandir in Bartlett is every bit as comparable. It is an architectural marvel and artistic beauty! Do not wear shorts, or be prepared to wear a skirt-cover up (provided) when you arrive. Put your shoes in the little cubby holes at the entrance.The internal sights in the temple are spectacular with amazing carving and imagery everywhere. The god statues are treated living beings so depending on what time you are there, they could be napping, being bathed, food offerings, etc.Ask one of the kind members to tell you about the construction of the temple. It is connected with a lego-like interlocking of the stone, no mortar. The marble was quarried in Italy and sought for qualities to withstand a Chicago winter. The marble was shipped block by block to India where it was hand carved, then shipped block by block to Bartlett for assembly. The grounds are also photo worthy with elephant topiaries and reflecting pools. Even at night, the temple is lit with spectacular colored lights that vary.This is a hidden gem and an absolute must see. The welcoming building is the original temple prior to the marble addition. It also has gorgeous carved wood also worth a look.This attraction is free, but I recommend offering a donation, especially if you tap into the kind employees to learn about the Mandir.

This was my 3rd visit and I've always enjoyed nice landscape of this place. Interior of the temple has very delicate carvings in marble and other stones. I've visited lot of such temples in India and always liked them as they are very clean and peaceful. If you're a spiritual person you'll truly enjoy it. If you've an eye for architecture you must visit this.Just remember to check their temple hours if you want to see deities (they're closed for public in the afternoon.

Very beautiful place...one of the best Indian architecture you will ever see outside India..good vegetarian food and you can also catch a glimpse of beautiful peacocks dancing in the garden.

I'm not Hindu, but I loved visiting this mandir multiple times. It's absolutely gorgeous, and if you're a fellow lover of world religions, you'll appreciate a little self-guided tour. The Forest of Pillars is serene, beautiful, and powerful (or at least I found it to be). I also bought a book in the gift shop for a great price ($3) that is a great collection of essays on life, applying to everyone, not those of the Hindu religion.

On October 2013 I traveled with my friends from Poland and we deceided to visit this temple as one of my guests-friends is classical Bharatanatyam dancer (indian form of dance). That day we were comming from another temple in Aurora where she had her dance recital so she was dressed stage likewise. When we came there at the gate we were informed that because we are with that woman we can't do any photos! What an ignorance! What is this place about? Looks like there is more ignorant security people then visitors. This beautiful dancer after making long dispute with security was allowed to enter the temple but we all were followed by this ignorants in uniforms.Nobody could gave me any logical answer why we can't do any photos outside of the bulding. I will never ever take any of my friends to this place especially from Europe.

First, I agree with others that coming here for a spiritual experience is a stretch for most people. Unless one has some familiarization with Hindu spiritualism, the building will likely leave you scratching your head. But...if you appreciate extraordinary hand craftmanship in marble and wood, this is a must see. I visited India, Nepal and Bhutan in the past year, seeing some amazing Hindu and Bhudist temples, but I must confess that not even one of all these temples was in pristine condition. The best were in Bhutan in terms of condition, but none of them can compare with the immaculate temple near Chicago.Tons of Carrara marble and Turkish granite were shipped to India for the handcrafted stone temple. The central dome alone weighs two tons, with no supports. No nails, screws or bolts were used in the assembly. The 30 small domes each have a different design. The exquisite workmanship must be seen to be believed.For me, stone tends to leave me cold. I can't resist wood carving, and the building adjacent to the temple, both inside and out, represents the highest quality wood work in the modern era. From the front of the building to the inner entrance and atrium, I marveled at the fine carving, rivaling the best I have seen in the choirs of churches in Europe, mosques and palaces in the middle east and the temples of South Asia. And...once again...the condition is so perfect that one does not need to imagine what it would look like if it wasn't so weather worn, mandhandled and poorly maintained, as some many of the historical temples, palaces and churches can be. I had no idea this place existed until my brother insisted we visit. My wife and I felt it was definitely worth the diversion in our plans. There will be a huge celebration for Diwali coming up, so I encourage others to make the journey here. Check their website for dates.