World Religions in Greater Boston: Home

The Bochasanwasi Temple, opened on July 14, 1990 and located an hour's drive west of Boston in Stow, Massachusetts, is housed in a former Congregational Church. Within the structure, the Hindu appropriation of the building is more readily visible, with brightly colored pink and purple scalloped carvings around the windows and the traditional Hindu shrines which are the center of congregational worship. The central altar contains three large and two smaller gold-framed portraits of Lord Swaminarayan and his successors, along with images of the Hindu gods Krishna and Ganesha. The Bochasanwasi believe that Swaminarayan, a Hindu holy man living in India at the turn of the 18th century, was the earthly manifestation of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme God and Eternal Principle. Through his series of successors, Swaminarayan (and, thus, Vishnu) is continuously manifest in the world. Pramukh Swami, the present manifestation, is considered, "the abode of god." Typical worship services consist of prayers, sermons and bhajans, along with the performance of pujas in which various offerings are made to the deities and swamis. Prayer meetings are followed by a prasad (dinner).

Activities and Schedule

Sunday Worship Service: 3:00-5:00 P.M.;
Saturdays (when there is a festival): 3:00-5:00 P.M.;
Temple hours: 6:00 A.M.-Noon and 4:00-8:00 P.M.

Ethnic composition:

Primarily South Asians from Gujarat