Question

Why was MILAN MANDIR established?

Answer 1

The Minnesota Hindu Milan Mandir was founded in October 2000 in Eagan, Minnesota. It is an affiliate of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha, a monastic and philanthropic institution, based in Calcutta, India. Yugacharya Sreemat Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj established the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in 1917. The original purpose of the organization was to better the economic and political conditions of Hindus in India under British rule. After a succession of leading satgurus, the Bharat Sevashram Sangha became less a political institution, and more a religious organization. Over the course of the century, nearly five hundred “milan mandirs” or temple branches were established in various parts of India and the Western world, including Trinidad and Guyana of the Caribbean. Today, these mandirs train sannyasins (monks), arrange cultural missions, organize various humanitarian and outreach programs and lead educational activities. The organization strives to create a united Hindu following, without regard to caste or any other social barrier. The Bharat Sevashram Sangha also supports more individual education in religion, encouraging followers to read the Gita and other religious texts. One of the integral elements of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha is the desire to preserve Indian cultural heritage, as well as religious ties, through the celebration of festivals and ancient traditions. These ideals of the organization are found thriving today in the Minnesota Hindu Milan Mand