BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Christchurch
Christchurch, New Zealand
- Deities
- Swaminarayan
- Traditions
- vaishnava
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- -43.4978, 172.6103
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust/management for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- Year-round; Diwali/Annakut is the busiest time at BAPS mandirs generally.
- How to reach
- At 19 Frank Street in the Papanui suburb of Christchurch, reachable by bus or car.
- Festivals
- Diwali/Annakut (October/November)
Location
Open in Google MapsRenovation work on an existing building to become Christchurch’s BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was already underway when the magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck the city in February 2011, temporarily halting the project during a period when the wider community was focused on disaster recovery. The mandir at 19 Frank Street in the suburb of Papanui was nonetheless completed and formally inaugurated later that year with a Mahapuja consecration ceremony, becoming — at the time — the only Hindu temple serving Christchurch and New Zealand’s entire South Island.
As with other mandirs built under the BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) organization, the temple follows the Swaminarayan Sampraday within the Vaishnava tradition, centering worship on Bhagwan Swaminarayan. It continues to serve the South Island’s Gujarati and broader Hindu community as a place of daily worship and festival gatherings such as Diwali and Annakut.
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's 'Hinduism in New Zealand' article, which states the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Christchurch is located at 19 Frank Street, Papanui, and 'was inaugurated on 2011, after a Mahapuja' ceremony, with 12 months of preceding renovations 'temporarily halted' by the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake; the article describes it at the time as Christchurch's and the South Island's only Hindu temple. The article's own citation is the temple's official website, which is no longer live (archived by Wikipedia as of January 2015) and could not be independently re-verified this pass.
- historical record: Coordinates added this pass via OpenStreetMap/Nominatim, which geocodes a place of worship named 'BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Christchurch' directly to 19 Frank Street, Papanui, Christchurch 8053 (approximately -43.4978, 172.6103) — an exact street-number match confirming the address.
For review
- Sourced only via Wikipedia's 'Hinduism in New Zealand' article; its underlying citation (the temple's own website) is now a dead link and could not be independently re-checked this pass. Deities are listed as 'Swaminarayan' following standard BAPS mandir convention, not a confirmation of the specific murtis installed at this location, and exact-day founding details beyond the year 2011 are unconfirmed.