CANADA’S prime minister Justin Trudeau last week visited the BAPS temple in Toronto to celebrate its golden jubilee anniversary.
In a message on Twitter, he said, “For 50 years, BAPS has been an important part of the Canadian family. This afternoon, we joined members of the @BAPS_Toronto community to celebrate their 50th anniversary – and to reaffirm that, no matter how you pray or where you are from, you are always welcome in Canada.”
The revered BAPS saint, the late His Holiness Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, first visited Canada in July 1974, and a year later devotees celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, along with the traditional display of annakut.
A decision to set up a temple was taken in 1984 and in 2000, HH Pujya Pramukh Swami performed the shilanyas ceremony for the new BAPS Shikharbaddh mandir in Toronto.
