by Siddhartha Dasgupta
During my December 2010 trip to India, I visited the Akshardham Temple with my parents. The temple is known as Swaminarayan Akshardham (meaning the eternal abode of Bhagwan Swaminarayan) and it is situated on the banks of the river Yamuna. It is one of the biggest Hindu Temples in the whole world! It’s a unique complex of Indian art and culture. It beautifully showcases Indian art, wisdom, heritage, and values as a tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan – who was a torchbearer of Indian culture.
The temple is set in a vast 100 acre site, and was built in only five years time! The temple was officially opened in 2005. It was inspired & created by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The temple radiates peace, beauty, joy, & divinity. One should plan on spending the whole day at the Mandir. Excellent and inexpensive vegetarian food is available throughout the complex.
However I wasn’t able to take pictures, since photography was strictly prohibited. So, I urge you to visit www.akshardham.com to have a sneak preview of the beautiful sights. Other things that were strictly prohibited were Videography, Cell/Mobile Phones, Cameras, Radios, Other Electronic Items, Food/Drinks from outside, Bags & other luggage’s, Smoking, Alcohol, Tobacco, Addictive Substances, Improper/Disrespectful Dresses, Abusive Language, Pets etc.
The temple is open every day, except for Mondays. At the temple’s entrance, the men and women go through separate security and screening lines. Since eatables are not allowed, they made us eat the apples that we had brought with us!
Along the welcome pathway are the Ten Gates, representing the ten principal directions described in Indian culture. These gates reflect the Vedic sentiment of inviting goodness from everywhere to all visitors. This represents unity and diversity, freedom of thought and countless discoveries. It reminds one of the fact that India is the mother and cradle of all languages and civilizations. We bought a guide book and a picture book from here.
Next we came to the Bhakti Dwar – meaning, the Gate of Devotion celebrating the Vedic tradition of dual worship. Offering devotion to God & his choicest devotee is the genuine form of worship. To honor this custom, 208 sculpted dual forms of God & his devotee have decorated this splendid gate. Information about the temple is provided at the Visitors Center inside the Bhakti Dwar.
Next we came across the Mayur Dwar - The mayur (peacock) is a symbol of beauty & purity. Mayur is also the national bird of India. The two Mayur Dwars (Peacock Gates) pay tribute to the joy and color that peacocks add to life. A total of 869 sculpted peacocks adorn each of the beautiful gates.
Between the two Mayur Dwars are the holy footprints of Bhagwan Swaminarayan in memory of his incarnation on earth. They are carved out of white marble & bear the 16 sacred signs of God. There are four auspicious conch shells in tribute to his inspiring life and work, from which water is continuously showered onto the footprints. At this point, visitors can proceed to the Mandir (also known as Temple) or the Gardens.
Inside The Main Akshardham Temple
• Akshardham Mandir: The Grand Akshardham Mandir is the focal point of the entire complex. The Mandir is built of pink stone & white marble. It is 141 feet high, 316 feet wide, & 356 feet long, featuring 234 intricately carved pillars, 9 magnificent domes, 20 pinnacles, & over 20,000 superbly sculpted figures. Built without using steel, it revives India’s ancient architectural tradition.
• Murti (Idol): The murti of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is gold–plated in and seated in the center of the Mandir. It is 11 feet high.
• Other idols in the temple are those of Shri Radha–Krishna, Shri Sita–Ram, Shri Lakshmi–Narayan, and Shri Parvati–Shiva.
Also, the decoration inside the temple is amazing!
Other things inside the Mandir (that you can’t miss) are:
o 24 Keshav forms of the divine, based on the scriptures of Pancharatna scriptures
o Sculpted murtis of sadhus & devotees
o Murtis of 500 paramahansas on the pillar tops
o Breathtaking carvings of the 65 feet high Lila Mandapam, Bhakta Mandapam, Smruti Mandapam, & Paramahansa Mandapam.
o Superb marble sculptures of incidents from the life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan in Ghanshyam Mandapam, Neelkanth Mandapam, Sahajanand Mandapam, & Swaminarayan Mandapam.
o Domes & 20 quadrangle pinnacles (samvarans) – examples of ancient India’s engineering technology.
Outside The Main Akshardham Temple:
• Mandovar – The ornate external wall (Mandovar) of the Mandir is 611 ft long and 25 ft high. It comprises 4,287 carved stones and includes 48 murtis of Ganeshji, and 200 sculpted figures of India’s great rishis, sadhus, devotees, acharyas and divine incarnations.
• Gajendra Peeth – The Akshardham Mandir rests on the unique 1,070 ft long Gajendra Peeth, which comprises 148 sculpted stone elephants, and dozens of other sculptures of people, animals and brids weighing in excess of 3,000 tons. It pays tribute to the glory of elephants and nature in Indian culture.
Exhibitions: This is probably one of the most interesting parts of a visit to Akshardham.
o Sahajanand Darshan (Hall of Values): It was a show about universal values for mankind, such as ahimsa, courage, endeavor, honesty, faith etc. are presented from the life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan through films, light, & sound shows with robotic figures.
o Neelkanth Yatra on the Giant Screen Theater: It was a show presented on a large format film vividly portraying the true story of an 11 year old child yogi, Neelkanth Varni. It was projected on a 85 by 65 foot screen, & was shot in 108 locations in India. It featured a cast of over 45,000 people. The film took the viewers on an exciting pilgrimage through the majestic Himalayas and India’s sacred places, festivals, traditions, & values. The 40-minute film depicts Neelkanth’s renunciation, encounter with a man-eating lion, pilgrimage to Haridwar, breathtaking treks in the Himalayas, Man Sarovar and Kailash, perilous travels through the jungles of Assam, encounter with the evil Pibek, grand felicitation in the Rath Yatra festival at Jagannathpuri, visit to Rameshwaram mandir and finally his entry into Gujarat. The film presents the glory of India and inspires values of determination, effort, courage, truth and spirituality.
o Sanskruti Vihar (Cultural Boat Ride): This was a spectacular 14 minute boat ride exhibition through 10,000 years of Indian culture and contributions to the world. which flourished on the banks of river Saraswati. Based on authentic research, 800 statues have brought India’s glorious heritage to life. In this boat ride, you can see the world’s oldest Vedic village & bazaar. The boat ride sails through Takshashila – the world’s first university. You also get to learn about the discoveries & inventions of India’s ancient rishi-scientists, & much more…
Other things to see:
Yagnapurush Kund is a fascinating replica of an ancient, traditional yagna kund, measuring 300ft x 300 ft and is the largest in India. At its center lies a spectacular, colorful musical fountain show that echoes the Vedic sentiments of creation, sustenance and dissolution. Since it was getting late, we could not see this musical fountain show.
Narayan Sarovar surrounds the Akshardham monument from three sides. The holy waters of 151 rivers, lakes and stepwells of India, visited by Bhagwan Swaminarayan, have been ritually added to Narayan Sarovar. Water flows into the Sarovar through 108 gaumukhs on the side and back walls of the Mandir.
Yogihriday Kamal is an eight petalled lotus-shaped arena that pays tribute to the auspicious sentiments of Yogiji Maharaj (the visionary behind Swaminrayan Akshardham). Each petal displays quotes of distinguished sages, scientists, historian and statesmen, inspiring faith in God and faith in man.
Bharat Upvan (Cultural Garden) is an environmental and cultural delight spread over 22 acres of colorful gardens and lawns. 65 larger than life bronze statues of India’s leadng icons inspire all with a spirit of patriotism, values and spiritual faith.
Abhishek Mandapam – Here one can offer prayers and make wishes while ritually pouring Ganga water on the enchanting murti of Neelkanth Varni – a child-yogi.
Parikrama – An impressive two-tier colonnade in red stone encircles the Mandir. Each tier is 3,000 feet long with 1,152 pillars and 145 viewing windows.
I think that visiting this temple was a great experience in terms of the murtis, decoration, & look of the temple. I have heard about this temple for the last five to six years, but never got a chance to visit this temple. Once again, there website is www.akshardham.com.
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