BAPS LbNA #76689
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Add Location| Owner: | Kelsung
 |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Oct 5, 2023 |
| Location: | 15100 Fairfield Ranch Rd |
| City: | Chino Hills |
| County: | San Bernardino |
| State: | California |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Not yet found! |
|---|---|
| Last found: | N/A |
| Last edited: | Nov 3, 2024 |
Alive and well as of 3/30/24
After years of planning, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir complex in Chino Hills, with spires up to 78 feet high visible from the 71 freeway, was completed in 2012, culminating the labor of 1500 Indian craftsman and 900 volunteers who assembled 35,000 individual stone pieces. I wanted to create a clue that would require seekers to visit the mandir (temple), as the intricate artistry is mind-blowing. At the same time, I wanted to be completely respectful. Thus, the letterbox is not at the location, but somewhere nearby.
You will need to enter the mandir (leave your shoes behind) to gather the necessary information for the clues (this is certainly not a new idea). However, no photography or cell phones are allowed inside the mandir, so I had to make it simple to remember. I encourage you to allow a good amount of time inside and outside to fully appreciate the details. There is a self-guided audio tour available.
Prior to the current guru, Mahant Swami Maharaj, there have been five previous spiritual successors to Swaminarayan. There is a statue of each of them in the mandir, and on a nearby column for each is the number for the self-guided audio tour. Simply note which number corresponds to which of the gurus (first to fifth successor) before you leave, then work out the code below outside somewhere comfortable. You can also visit the gift shop and cafe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunatitanand_Swami
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagatji_Maharaj
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shastriji_Maharaj
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogiji_Maharaj
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pramukh_Swami_Maharaj
You can use the Wikipedia links to get the correct spelling of each name and their birth and death years. In each sequence below, the first number refers to the number on the columns, and the second number is which letter in his name (if it is in quotes). However, since some letters (particularly E) do not appear in any of their names, for these I've left digits 1 to 8 (NOT in quotes) corresponding to their birth and death years, which in turn correspond to that letter in the alphabet. Complicated? Of course.
[ 6 "9" - 13 7 - 14 "9" - 11 "1" - 10 "11" - 6 "17" - 14 "3" - 13 "14" ]
and
[ 6 "12" - 10 "10" - 6 "3" - 11 "1" - 14 "5" - 13 "6" - 10 "1" ]
Begin upon the path of light, but at some point in your journey you will need to cross to the path of darkness.
Just as you pass between a distant
[ 6 "13" - 13 4 - 10 84 - 14 73 ]
tower on one side, and a nearby smaller
[ 10 "1" - 13 7 - 14 15 - 11 53 - 10 "2" - 6 "14" ]
"tower" on the other, the thing you crossed will end.
Count about 60 steps to the curve and look for something flat and rusty about 7 steps left of the path. The box is below the downward point, with a stamp kindly carved by MrOspital.
After years of planning, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir complex in Chino Hills, with spires up to 78 feet high visible from the 71 freeway, was completed in 2012, culminating the labor of 1500 Indian craftsman and 900 volunteers who assembled 35,000 individual stone pieces. I wanted to create a clue that would require seekers to visit the mandir (temple), as the intricate artistry is mind-blowing. At the same time, I wanted to be completely respectful. Thus, the letterbox is not at the location, but somewhere nearby.
You will need to enter the mandir (leave your shoes behind) to gather the necessary information for the clues (this is certainly not a new idea). However, no photography or cell phones are allowed inside the mandir, so I had to make it simple to remember. I encourage you to allow a good amount of time inside and outside to fully appreciate the details. There is a self-guided audio tour available.
Prior to the current guru, Mahant Swami Maharaj, there have been five previous spiritual successors to Swaminarayan. There is a statue of each of them in the mandir, and on a nearby column for each is the number for the self-guided audio tour. Simply note which number corresponds to which of the gurus (first to fifth successor) before you leave, then work out the code below outside somewhere comfortable. You can also visit the gift shop and cafe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunatitanand_Swami
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagatji_Maharaj
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shastriji_Maharaj
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogiji_Maharaj
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pramukh_Swami_Maharaj
You can use the Wikipedia links to get the correct spelling of each name and their birth and death years. In each sequence below, the first number refers to the number on the columns, and the second number is which letter in his name (if it is in quotes). However, since some letters (particularly E) do not appear in any of their names, for these I've left digits 1 to 8 (NOT in quotes) corresponding to their birth and death years, which in turn correspond to that letter in the alphabet. Complicated? Of course.
[ 6 "9" - 13 7 - 14 "9" - 11 "1" - 10 "11" - 6 "17" - 14 "3" - 13 "14" ]
and
[ 6 "12" - 10 "10" - 6 "3" - 11 "1" - 14 "5" - 13 "6" - 10 "1" ]
Begin upon the path of light, but at some point in your journey you will need to cross to the path of darkness.
Just as you pass between a distant
[ 6 "13" - 13 4 - 10 84 - 14 73 ]
tower on one side, and a nearby smaller
[ 10 "1" - 13 7 - 14 15 - 11 53 - 10 "2" - 6 "14" ]
"tower" on the other, the thing you crossed will end.
Count about 60 steps to the curve and look for something flat and rusty about 7 steps left of the path. The box is below the downward point, with a stamp kindly carved by MrOspital.