BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston — Attraction in Missouri City

I believe in all Hindu gods and respect all other religions. However, I have never witnessed the kind of gender discrimination even in any Muslim culture that I experienced at the BAPS temple.

During a cultural hall opening event around August 2024, they enforced strict gender segregation (this they do inside the temple too)—separate lines for men and women, separate seating, and separate dining areas. My husband was unwell, so I took ONLY ONE plate of food to share with him and feed him as he was sick. However, the BAPS management refused to allow me to enter the men’s section. I offered to stand in a corner with my husband and daughter so we could eat together without disturbing others, but they refused. I then requested to take the food outside and eat in our car, yet they still denied taking food outside the hall. Instead, they took the plate away from us, refusing to let us either sit together or take the food outside.

It was extremely disheartening to see that they prioritized strict segregation over basic human kindness. Even other religious communities, such as Muslims, Sikh, Jain etc emphasize hospitality and feeding people in need. Yet, BAPS was willing to take food away from a sick person's family rather than allow them to eat together. We left the BAPS temple with empty stomach.

In the 21st century, such rigid and outdated practices raise serious concerns about how many more generations will continue to follow these restrictive customs. When questioned, the management simply stated that this is their belief, they will not allow us to eat together or take food outside, so its ok to return the food plate and they are proud of this segregation.

This experience was extremely disappointing. Upper management or if today's BAPS generation is reading this than they should really do something about this gender...

The Temple in itself is very nice.. exemplary piece of architecture. There is a saying that god resides in detailing.. you can surely notice that detailing here. Online it says open till 7PM, but in real.. 7PM is the Aarti time, it only opens at 7PM. Aarti was nice. Although I am Hindu, I am from north so I am not well familiar with the customs and beliefs of Shri Swami Narayan followers.. the oddest thing is women sit in back and men sit in front separately. Never seen this in any other temple.. so expect sexism, I am sure they have some story behind this. Other thing is during Aarti, one women asked me to move around a bit.. basically suggesting me to sit where she pointed. Which was weird to me. Secondly, my bf was bowing to the lord while standing at the edge of Aisle (not during Aarti) coz people were sitting in front and it’s easier view with standing and one women kept telling him to sit, he moved to other side , she said again to sit, he moved to the extreme corner of other end of Aisle and she rudely said either sit or leave. You’d expect you will find peace in such places, but peace is never associated with the place but the people in those places. So expect some rudeness around, although I am pretty sure they don’t have bad intentions but whatever… there are no signage of these rules around anywhere of standing / sitting etc. Except the section for women and men. Few of my other friends have also experienced sexism while getting pooja for new car. Also, photography is prohibited inside. So go, walk around, embrace the architecture, pray to the good lords for some wisdom, patience, love and goodness.

Parking is pretty far too, expect...

If you're Hindu, come for sabha and aarti. If you're not Hindu and you'd like to visit, come for the extraordinary architecture, the small vegetarian cafe, and the cultural experience. It's particularly fun to visit during festival time. Some things to know: First, you can't take photography inside the temple. Second, you must dress modestly, both men and women. Don't come in shorts or with tank tops. Don't come in leggings or miniskirts. You'll be asked to cover yourself before entering. The women devotees will generally wear Indian traditional dress. Men devotees usually wear western clothes, except during festivals when they will dress traditionally. Third, the temple can get extremely busy and crowded on Saturday evenings and during festivals. Parking can be challenging, even in the huge surface lots. During festivals such as Diwali, it can get downright CRAZY here, but it's still fun to eat the food and see the fireworks. One more thing that sometimes surprises people, men and women are separated in the temple and in the sabha and dining halls during ceremonies. There's no sitting together. Be prepared for this if you come with family. The monks dressed in saffron robes are prohibited by vow to interact with women in any way, so don't be put off by this. There's no fee to enter or to park. It's a very welcoming place for all, and the temple itself is beautiful, serene and peaceful. It must be experienced, preferably when it's...