Shree Raam Mandir

Shree Raam Mandir

Address: Stationslaan 18, 6602 BP Wijchen, Netherlands

The origin of the Mandir

After the wave of immigration in the last century, people from the Surinamese Hindu community in the Netherlands mainly gathered in a domestic circle to practice their faith. Likewise in this region. Only in the larger cities were there Mandirs (temples), where speakers from home and abroad proclaimed faith and philosophy and where people could go for rituals and services. These were often smaller spaces. Some owned by private individuals or leased by smaller communities. Many not adequate for common occasions.

An initiative was then taken to investigate the feasibility of a Mandir in this region. Partly due to the increasing interest, the meetings moved from the living room to public spaces. The frequency of the meetings was soon weekly. The Jai Hanuman foundation represented the community.

Weekly volunteers ensured that provisions were made to create an atmosphere appropriate to a temple visit. Everything had to be cleaned up after the services. The more important heydays and other celebrations were organized in other, larger spaces. Unfortunately, it was not always possible to offer what people wanted due to missing or insufficient facilities.

The need for a Mandir became increasingly apparent. Not only because of the practical matters, but especially because of the further development of the initiators on a spiritual level. A major inspiration is His Holiness Brahmrishi Vishvatma Bawra Ji Maharaj, the Guru of the initiators.
The need for a pure spiritual environment, where, in addition to acquiring knowledge and experiencing the religion in its original form, one has the opportunity to disconnect from everyday worries and to be of service, led to the initiative to create its own Mandir to found.

Since subsidies were not provided to religious institutions, donors have started to be recruited for the realization of their own Mandir. However, we weren’t the only ones. Especially in the larger cities, there were already several organizations working in this area. Self-enrichment scandals made recruiting donors difficult.

After years of recruiting donors, action has been taken. First of all, the choice was made to realize the Mandir in the municipality of Wijchen. Wijchen was preferred to Boxmeer because of its more central location and economic reasons. The financial resources to build the Mandir were not sufficient. In addition to a mortgage loan, interest-free, private loans have been taken out with private individuals to keep costs as low as possible.

The realization finally started in 2005. Our architectural draftsman is Mr. J. Tetar from Amsterdam. The structural work was realized by a construction company and the finishing with the help of volunteers.
The official opening of the Mandir took place on December 18, 2005. On January 15, 2006, the initiation of the Murtis (statues) in the Mandir started. This was accompanied by a 5-day yagya.