The town of Evry (Essonne) has had a large Buddhist pagoda for almost 10 years, Bussy-Saint-Georges (Seine-et-Marne) will have a traditional Hindu temple in the coming years. This exceptional project, a first in Europe for a building entirely made of stone, has just been launched for delivery scheduled for the 2nd quarter of 2026. Designed by the international architectural agency Arte Charpentier, this project is both cult and cultural space of 5,000 m² takes place on “The esplanade of religions», this unique concept specific to the city aimed at bringing together diverse congregations in the same space to encourage meeting and dialogue between them.
It is the international spiritual organization BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) with numerous temples spread across the world which is behind this project, the work of which will be carried out by Bateg, a subsidiary of Vinci construction, accompanied by GS Construction for the finishing touches. interiors. The building will be organized on three levels, with a cultural center (Haveli, in the original version) in the base occupying the ground floor and the first floor where we will find offices, classrooms, gyms, etc. . The second floor is dedicated to the Hindu temple itself (Mandir), with its accessible terrace, which can serve as a meditation garden.
A fragment of the country of origin
How could an architectural agency based in Paris be commissioned for such an extraordinary project? “The story begins more than 5 years ago when the BAPS organization found its site in Bussy-Saint-Georges, remembers Nahla Jajo-Legrand, one of the people responsible for this project for Arte Charpentier. She then wanted to work with an international French agency, accustomed to managing multicultural contexts and with an English-speaking team. The flow went very well with our general director, Andrew Hobson, whose speech mixing the human and the spiritual was very popular.” But if this agency, whose headquarters is in Paris, will manage the architecture, the interior architecture and the landscaping aspect guaranteeing respect for French standards and know-how, the purely Indian elements will remain very present on this project.
The construction will in fact be decorated with natural stone from India and sculpted there, particularly for the finesse of the decorations of the domes chiseled with typically Indian motifs. “For the client, the use of stone was essential, explains Nahla Jajo-Legrand. It represents a natural origin, remarkable durability and a symbol of strength. It is a material that connects us to the earth while creating harmony with the divine. As for the choice of stone from India, this comes from BAPS’s desire to import a fragment from its country of origin. During the construction site, stonemasons Indians and French will be present on site. “Together, they will guarantee compliance with European techniques and standards while being able to intervene on adjustments or replacements of stones decorated with religious motifs”specifies Georges Souaid, project manager at Arte Charpentier.
On the budget side, the cost of the project has not been revealed, but we can easily imagine that it amounts to millions of euros. The BAPS organization seems to have significant resources, the temple it inaugurated in Abu Dhabi on February 14 would have cost more than $84 million. It is true that this building, which can accommodate 8,000 to 10,000 people and which mobilized 2,000 Indian artisans just to sculpt the stones, far surpasses what will be done in the Paris region.