Akshardham Temple

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. Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi epitomizes 10,000 years of Indian culture in all its breathtaking grandeur, beauty, wisdom and bliss. It brilliantly showcases the essence of India’s ancient architecture, traditions and timeless spiritual messages. Akshardham is an enlightening picture of India’s glorious art, values and harmony of mankind. 

The grand, ancient-styled complex was built in only five years ago. World witness the heritage of India in all its facets, insights and beauty at the Akshardham through the temple, its exhibitions, verdant gardens and other attractions. Its is situated in Noida-Delhi border near Akshardham Flyover (name after it). The ancient-style, ornately hand-carved stone temple has been built without structural steel within five years by 11,000 artisans and volunteers.

Built on the banks of sacred Yamuna River, The temple represents one of the most beautiful sights in Delhi. This temple has been built under the patronage of the Bochasanvasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), which comprises of 20, 000 statues, floral motifs, arches and 234 exquisitely carved pillars (as per written there).

The architectural style of Delhi’s Akshardham temple is an emulation of the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. Its main monument is 141-feet high and houses admirable statue of Lord Swaminarayan (11 feet high). The central statue is surrounded by similar statues of other gurus (spiritual teachers). All these statues are made with paanch dhaatu (an amalgam of the five major metals) according to Hindu tradition of idol-making. There are statues of several Hindu Gods here too.

An artificially built small lake called the Narayana Sarovar surrounds the main monument. The lake contains water from 151 rivers and lakes that are considered holy by Hindus. The lake is surrounded by faucets that resemble cow heads (“gaumukhs” in Hindi), since cow is one of the very sacred creatures in Hinduism.

The Swaminarayan Temple, Akshardham is built without using steel i.e. formed by using pink sandstone and marbles. Besides temple, Exhibition hall, an IMAX theatre, musical fountain, manicured lawns, lush gardens, a restaurant modeled on Ajanta and Ellora caves and an ayurvedic bazaar are some of the most attractive features of this renowned temple. Although, it took more than 2 years to blend Gujarati, Rajasthani, Orrisan, Jain and Mughal temple architectural style in this beautiful edifice, but end result is worth watching.