PM Modi visits under-construction Swaminarayan temple in Johannesburg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a grand welcome by the members of Indian diaspora at Johannesburg in South Africa. Indian diaspora and people of Indian ancestry in South Africa are among the biggest in the world.

He met with the members of the Indian diaspora ahead of the BRICS Business Forum Leaders' Dialogue.

The prime minister also viewed a model of the huge Swaminarayan Mandir which has been under construction since 2017 and is expected to be completed in the next two years. The new temple at North Riding, north of Johannesburg, will be similar to one in Nairobi, which is built entirely of stone. It will also include classrooms and a clinic.


The under-construction temple, once completed by 2025, will be the largest Hindu temple in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere. The temple is built on a 14.5 acre size plot of land, housing a 34,000 cultural centre, 3000 seater auditorium, 2000 seater banqueting hall, a research institute, classrooms, exhibition and recreational centers, among others facilities.

Earlier, Modi landed at Waterkloof Air Force Base where he was welcomed by South Africa's Deputy President Paul Mashatile and accorded a ceremonial welcome.