CHINO HILLS, Calif — As the sun rises over Chino Hills just outside Los Angeles, the noise of cars and traffic fades, giving way to a sense of calm at the BAPS Hindu Mandir.
“A Mandir, the term is a Sanskrit word which splits up into two parts. MAN, which means ‘mind.’ DIR, which means ‘still.’ So when you kind of look at the place, it’s where the mind becomes still,” said volunteer Mehul Patel.
Made from more than 35,000 pieces of individually hand-carved stone, the structure is the largest traditionally built Hindu mandir in California…