time of the day and season. Food that has been offered to the deities is considered sanctified. These holy offerings are distributed to the devotees as prasadam. Throughout the day, arti, a ritual where devotees sing the glory of God while a lighted wick is circulated before the murtis, is performed five times a day and named Mangala Aarti, Shanagar Aarti, Rajabhoga Aarti, Sandhya Aarti and Shayana Aarti, respectively. During midday, lunch is offered. In the evening, dinner is offered. Finally, the swamis put the murtis to rest by adorning them with night garments. While food is being offered to the murtis and when they are put to rest, their chamber doors are closed. Mandir activities The congregation gathers for weekly assemblies in the haveli. Devotional hymns are sung and spiritual discourses covering teachings in Hindu scriptures are conducted. In addition, there is a wide spectrum of activities for youths such as Hindu heritage classes, Indian music classes and Gujarati language training. Further, leadership seminars and conferences held over school intersessions encourage youths to take an active role in their community and mandir activities. During major Hindu festivals, youths are given the opportunity to showcase these learnings in the weekly assemblies through singing devotional hymns, performing traditional dances and delivering spiritual discourses and speeches. Sports tournaments are held to promote physical well-being and teamwork and to encourage youths to build camaraderie. The BAPS congregation in Houston In 1977, after Pramukh Swami Maharaj's first visit to Houston, a small group of devotees started gathering in homes to hold spiritual assemblies. By 1979, the spiritual assemblies were being held in community halls to accommodate the increasing congregation size. An assembly of 350 devotees gathered at Alief Hastings High School during Pramukh Swami's visit in July 1980. By 1985, the continued growth of the congregation prompted the need for a larger space. As a result, a site for a new mandir was chosen in Stafford, Fort Bend County. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in 1986. The newly built mandir was situated on a five-acre plot, consisting of an 8,000 square foot assembly hall. The mandir was located on Brand Lane and was inaugurated in 1988 by Pramkuh Swami. In the late 1990s, the congregation began planning the development of a new Shikarbaddha mandir that would be situated in next to the current mandir. Pramukh Swami performed the foundation stone laying ceremony for this