Akshardham Temple, New Delhi
Overview
The Akshardham Temple in Delhi is fast becoming a must-do on the itinerary of tourists to Delhi. While the spiritually inclined, visit for obvious reasons, the complex is well organised enough to make it a must visit for the foreign tourist or even someone unfamiliar with Hinduism and its traditions.
Akshardham Temple has been designed to epitomise 10,000years of Indian Culture. This 100 acre sprawling facility was constucted in 5 years with 11,000 artisans and volunteers.
Akshardham temple is quite serious about security, so if you plan to visit, do note that the only things you are allowed to carry inside other than the clothes you are wearing (cap/shawl/sweater, reading glasses, cooling glasses/shoes are all ok - knees need to be covered) the only things you CAN carry with you are your wallet (not purse) and house/vehicle keys. No food items, no mobile phones, no flowers, pen, paper etc. Leave all these behind in your vehicle and you will be able to avoid the queue to deposit and retrieve these "non-permitted items" at the cloakroom.
History of Akshardham Temple
Swaminarayan Akshardham is situated on the banks of River Yamuna in East Delhi near the Nizamuddin Bridge in New Delhi. The temple is a fine example of ancient Indian culture with all its breathtaking grandeur and beauty. The grand temple showcases India’s ancient architecture, traditions and spirituality. 'Akshardham' means the eternal, divine abode of the supreme God, the abode of eternal values and virtues of Akshar as defined in the Vedas and Upanishads where divine bhakti, purity and peace forever pervades.
Akshardham Temple is dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan and was constructed by Bochasanvasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). In honour the Akshardham temple in New Delhi was inaugurated by APJ Abdul Kalam on 6 November 2005. Pink sandstone and white marble (pink symbolizes bhakti in eternal bloom and white is for purity and eternal peace) is used for the construction of the temple and is replete with about 20, 000 statues, floral motifs, arches and exquisitely carved pillars. The temple sprawls over 100 acres and it took over five years to build with about 11,000 skilled craftsmen. A fusion of various contrasting styles such as Rajasthani, Oriya, Gujarati, Mughal and Jain styles are used to further enhance the beauty of the temple.
Apart from the mandir you can also have an insight of exhibitions, art gallery, musical fountain show and giant screen film in the IMAX theatre inside the temple complex. The source of inspiration behind the construction of the temple comes directly from the Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). The temple complex is well known for its unique blend of Hindu religion and Indian culture.
The temple complex is divided into many small structures. The main monument has been built according to the ' Vaastu Shastra' is 141 feet high, 316 feet wide and 370 feet long with 234 ornate pillar eleven 72-foot-high huge domes (mandapams) and decorative arches. There are about about 20, 000 sculptures of various Hindu gods and goddesses adorning all the parts of the temple. The grand and beautiful mandir is built without steel and consists of 234 ornately carved pillars, 9 ornate domes, 20 quadrangled shikhars, spectacular Gajendra Pith (plinth of stone elephants) and 20,000 murtis and statues of India’s great sadhus, devotees, acharyas and divine persons.
Akshardham Temple Timings
You can visit the temples anytime between 9:30 am and 6:30 pm on all days of the week except Monday when it is closed. The Musical Fountain timing is at 7:45 pm and this changes as per the sunset and season. No electronic items like mobile phones or cameras are allowed within the complex.
Akshardham Temple Photo Gallery
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