CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA 7/21/2019: From Friday, July 19 to Sunday, July 21, 2019, Shree Swaminarayan Mandir (Temple) - Chesapeake, Virginia, at 4210 Dock Landing Road, celebrated its grand opening with prayers, scripture recitals, cultural and devotional dance performances, and a peace procession through the streets of the City. Visitors from the entire county and indeed many from abroad gathered to witness the inauguration ceremony being performed by His Divine Holiness Acharya Shree Purushottampriyadasji Swamishree Maharaj, who is the spiritual leader of Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan, a worldwide organization dedicated to the progression of spiritual, social and cultural values.With the opening of Chesapeake Temple, Acharya Swamishree Maharaj has established yet another chapter in the USA towards his mission to spread the message of peace, unity and tolerance towards all.
Dignitaries attending to the opening ceremony included Dr. Richard W. West, Mayor of Chesapeake City Council. Expressing his delight on meeting Acharya Swamishree Maharaj, Mayor West said, “I can sense the aura of peace when coming to this place and meeting Acharya Swamishree Maharaj. I realize that he is a very special individual and I welcome him and you all to Chesapeake. I have attended many ribbon cutting ceremonies, but nothing is as humbling as the event that I have the honor of seeing today.” A cheque towards the Mayor’s special charity appeal, and another to the Chesapeake Fire and Police Departments was presented by Acharya Swamishree Maharaj. The three day event also included a Peace Procession, through the streets of Chesapeake, featuring the Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band, North America’s first and only Indian American bagpipe band.
During the finale of the 3 day ceremony, Acharya Swamishree Maharaj ceremonially weighed the divine forms of the Lord presiding in the Mandir against pure silver ingots, which represented the donations and pure, innocent prayers of the adherents of this Faith for the poor and unfortunate of the region. In accordance with the ancient Hindu rituals, they were then installed in the main shrine. The entire function was relayed live to thousands globally. During one of his speeches of the festival, Acharya Swamishree Maharaj recalled, “This weekend, the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 spaceflight and man’s first landing on the moon (July 20, 1969 - July 20, 2019). That day was an impressive accomplishment for the progression of our understanding of the world beyond this Earth. Similarly, this date will also go down in history for Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan, because the opening of this Center will provide a base for the spiritual progression and understanding for countless people living in Virginia.”
Virginia was the very first colony to be established in the United States, when European settlers first arrived here in the year 1607 CE. This weekend, we celebrate the arrival of the Supreme Lord Shree Swaminarayanbapa Swamibapa to this great state! Acharya Swamishree Maharaj blessed, “May the sublime message of morality, peace, and truth be spread throughout the world. Compassion, love for all, and universal understanding are the essentials of humanity. These are the virtues that please the Lord. These are the values that need to be instilled throughout society.”
About Shree Swaminarayan Siddhant Sajivan Mandal, Virginia, is a registered non-profit organization, which is affiliated with the worldwide Organization, Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan. Associated centers exist in many states of North America and Canada. The one in Chesapeake is the newest location, and is a most important milestone for the Virginia chapter of our Organization.
In accordance with the teachings of Lord Shree Swaminarayan, Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan performs numerous activities for the welfare of humanity. These include, providing food and shelter to the poor, medical and educational assistance to the underprivileged, and urgent relief assistance during times of natural disaster. As such, one of our principles is that all donations received from our disciples around the world are returned to the communities in which they live in and various charities across the globe.
Acharya Swamishree Maharaj travels the world with his message of peace and encourages unity amongst all communities, faiths, genders and social standing. He has received many recognitions, including the latest in November of last year, when he was awarded the title of ‘World Peace Ambassador’ by the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) - the largest and most established global professional organization in the field of peace research.
