Houston's Hidden Beauty

This… is one of the hidden beauties of our area, and I doubt most citizens even realize it exists. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple was the first traditional mandir of stone and marble constructed in the entire country. Completed in 2004 without the use of iron or steel, the mandir is constructed of over 33,000 individual pieces of Italian marble and limestone from Turkey. These marked pieces were initially shipped to India where they were hand carved with traditional Vendic deities and motifs, and then shipped to Houston and assembled like a huge puzzle. Without a doubt, this is one of the more breathtaking local places that I have visited.