History of the Sanatan Mandir Sabha is as old as the arrival of the first generation of the Indian immigrants to Norway. This generation had a dream to have a place of worship of their own, where they can meet with their families, teach & guide their children about their cultural and religious heritage. It took the first generation many years to settle down and finally Sanatan Mandir Sabha Norway was founded and registered in March 1988 as the first Hindu religious community of Norway. A committee was formed to collect funds & find a suitable site to build the Hindu temple. Santan Mandir Sabha always wanted to build its temple in Oslo and tried quite hard to acquire a piece of land for this purpose. Many places and properties had been looked at and after having no success, a reasonably good size property with parking area been bought on 29th January 1993 in Slemmestad centre.
Reconstruction and renovation work started in August 1994 and completed in Feb 1996.
Murti-Sthapna& Pranpratishta mahotsav took place from June11 to June 15,1997 and following dignitaries were invited as guest of honour from India:
-Bramhriski Viswa Atma Bawra ji Maharaj, from Pinjor, India.
-Uma Shri Bharti Ji, Member of Parliament, India.
-Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta, Member of Parliament, India.
Puja and rituals were performed according to Vedic traditions. After reciting holy Vedic mantras and prayers for 5 days, Sachdaannand Bhawan descended in the murtis and Dev Namkaran & Puranahuti was performed. Huge number of devotees from all over Norway participated in the Mahotsav and Sanatan Mandir Slemmestad was officially opened on June 15, 1997.
Sanatan Mandir Slemmestad is a national temple, does not belong to just one town, city, or a group of people, but to all Hindus living in Norway. Located in the peaceful surroundings, Sanatan Mandir Slemmestad is like a Hindu Tirath in Norway. It is easily accessible by car and bus from the surrounding cities and towns and even by boat from Oslo. Having a reasonably large complex, Sanatan Mandir Sabha offers its facilities to the members and non-members to hold private functions i.e. puja–havan, birthdays, marriages, and other cultural activities. To maintain the rich heritage of Hindu religion and culture and to celebrate some of the important events & festivals, Sanatan Mandir Sabha invites renowned scholars, singers, and music groups from India and abroad.
Sanatan Mandir Sabha is the largest Hindu religious community in Norway and is part of the STL, the council for Religious and Life Stance Communities, and represents all Indian Hindu religious communities of Norway, and strives for the unity and welfare of the whole Indian community.
Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, Sarve santu niramayah I
Sarve bhadrani passhyantu ma kaschid dukh-bhagbhavet II