Toronto Things to Do Tips by glenn57

The Swaminarayan Mandir opened in July of 2007, and is, in my opinion, the most impressive piece of architecture in the city of Toronto.

It is a Hindu temple constructed from 24,000 individually hand-crafted pieces of stone (much of it being Italian marble) carved in India. It is made without steel or mortar; the pieces were designed to fit exactly together, thus not requiring mortar. You can go inside, and you can also visit the attached museum, the "Canadian Museum of Cultural Heritage of Indo-Canadians".

Visiting hours are 9 PM to 6 PM daily. If you are wearing shorts or a short skirt that exposes your knees, they will give you a sarong to wear while you visit.

The Swaminarayan Mandir is at 61 Claireville Drive, which is just north of Finch, just east of the 427. It is time-consuming to get to on public transit from downtown, but here are your options: (1) take the subway (metro) to Kipling Station, then the Kipling 45 bus north to Finch. Walk west from Finch (or take a bus) to Humberline, then turn right (north on Humberline). Claireville is a short distance on your left. (2) take the subway to Finch, then the Finch 36B bus west to Humberline. Get off bus and walk north on Humberline to Claireville, which is on your left.

From downtown on public transit, it might take about 1.5 hours to get there.

Phone number: 416-798-2277.
Website: www.swaminarayan.org/globalnetwork/america/toronto.htm

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Here's a closer look at the front of the temple.

The museum inside, in spite of its name, is actually a museum of Hinduism and India. It is really quite interesting, and nicely laid out - certainly worth the $5 admission.

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Here is a close-up of the side of the temple. Although this may look elaborately carved, the inside is far more impressive. On the inside, almost every square inch of the marble is carved, and there appears to be no repetition in the carvings. It is truly remarkable.

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