In suburban Charlotte, a Hindu community addresses growth with new temple project
The BAPS Hindu community is building a new 72,000-square-foot temple in Matthews. Leaders purchased the land in 2018, and the complex is estimated to open by the end of 2027.
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BAPS, which stands for Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, is a global Hindu organization that is rooted in Hinduism’s sacred scriptures: Vedas texts.
Nik Patel, the project lead, said the Charlotte-area BAPS community has outgrown its current Matthews space. The land at 2021 Independence Commerce Drive will be the site of the expanded single-story temple, called a mandir.
“It’s a place of worship where anyone and everyone is allowed to come and visit. It’s open to all,” Patel said.
Since the current mandir at 4100 Margaret Wallace Road is in residential zoning, the leaders weren’t able to expand the 27,000-square-foot facility that opened in 1996.
In March 2019, BAPS leaders started working with Cluck Design architecture firm. Since the 17-acre site they bought was on two separate parcels, they went through a rezoning process.
The construction team was able to break ground in July 2025. Over the last 11 months, workers have been focused on removing trees, installing water and sewer infrastructure, and adding sidewalks.
Patel said site work still needs to be completed before building the physical facility. He did not have an estimated cost of the project.
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In a symbolic step for the project, community members gathered on May 31 under a tent on the land for a foundation stone laying ceremony.
The BAPS community has been in Charlotte since the late 1970s, according to Patel. Mecklenburg County’s population grew from around 919,600 in 2010 to 1.2 million last year, and leaders have felt the effects on their Matthews mandir.
“We see individuals come to our current mandir on Sunday-to-Sunday basis for service, and that number is just always increasing,” Patel said.
The new facility is designed to welcome about 1,000 guests into its main assembly hall, with additional space in a dining hall and gymnasium.
To expand its youth education programs and community activities, the mandir will also include 16 classrooms. Youth program attendees will continue to be offered five levels of classes for the Indian language of Gujarati.
“A lot of our scriptures are in the native language, Gujarati, so it just helps them read, understand the language, and kind of get all the meanings of the terminology that we use,” Patel said. “It also helps them communicate and kind of keeps them attached to our culture.”
Just like its current space, the new BAPS temple will be open every day at 7 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m., with assembly services hosted on Sundays. Once the new mandir opens, Patel said he assumes the original facility and land will be sold.
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