Minnesota Hindu Milan Mandir

The Minnesota Hindu Milan Mandir started out as a small gathering of devotees in a living room in the suburban neighborhood of Eagan, Minnesota. As it grew, the space was relocated into a garage. Today, it is a large temple housed in a converted church in Farmington, Minnesota. Formally, it is affiliated with Bharat Sevashram Sangha, which is a guru-based movement that was founded in 1917 in, what is now, Bangladesh. Swami Pranavananda Ji Maharaj, a spiritual ascetic who is believed by devotees to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva.

Bharat Sevashram Sangha was established in Guyana in the 1950s with the intention of spreading the teachings of Guru Maharaj, as he is affectionately called; the movement emphasizes the development of an intimate relationship with God and the realization that the divine power rests within every living being. Swami Maharaj also preached spiritual development through meditation and selfless service (seva) and at Milan Mandir he is worshiped as a divine guru.