"The
Akshardham Temple is a massive temple complex in Delhi. It has got 20,000
statues, floral motifs, arches as well as exquisitely carved pillars."
The
Akshardham Temple in Delhi was constructed under the patronage of the
Bochasanvasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and initiated on
November 7, 2005. The temple complex represents an unique blend of the Hindu
religion and Indian culture.
The
Akshardham temple complex stands on the banks of the Yamuna and has more than a
100 acres of lawn decorated with water fountains and carved pavilions. An
amount of 2 billions was spent on the building that took around 2 years to
complete.
There is
the IMAX theater, the Swaminarayan temple and a beautiful musical fountain in
the large Akshardham temple in Delhi. The architectural design is a copy of the
Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The chief monument of the
Akshardham temple is about 141 feet high and possesses a grand statue of Lord
Swaminarayan.
The
followings are some of the important facts about the temple:
• Year of Construction: 2005
• Constructed by: BAPS Swaminarayan
Sanstha
• Managed by: Swaminarayan Sect
• Other Deities: Shri Radha Krishna
Dev, Shri Sita Ram, Shri Laxmi Narayan and Shri Uma Maheshwar.
• Opening Schedule: 9 am - 9 pm
(Tuesday-Sunday). Closed on Monday.
Popular
features of the Akshardham Temple in Delhi
The Hall
of Values is the most important feature of the Akshardham temple. The Hall of
Values is also called Sahajanand Pradarshan and is set in the 18th century
backdrop. The hall features a number of robotics, fiber optics and dioramas
that display incidents from the life of Swaminarayan.
The
Akshardham temple also houses Delhi's only format screen theater. Also known as
Neelkanth Kalyan Yatra, the theatre inside the Akshardham complex is home to
the city's first large format screen that measures 85-foot (26 m) by 65-foot
(20 m). The theatre features a film that is specially and only meant for the
temple complex. It is called Neelkanth Yatra, the film is about the seven-year
journey made by Swaminarayan throughout India during his teenage years. The
movie also has an international version called Mystic India, which was released
in 2005 at different theaters worldwide. Within the vicinity of the theater
there is also a 27-foot tall bronze statue of Neelkanth Varni.
The
Yagnapurush Kund is one of the most striking features of the Akshardham temple
complex. The Yagnapurush Kund which is the country's largest step well serves
as a point of rest for many travelers during the day. There are a host of steps
that lead to the traditional yagna kund. The many steps that offer relaxation
to the many tourists in the day also offer a delightful musical fountain show
at night. The musical fountain shown at night is a representation of the circle
of life. There are about 2,870 steps and 108 tiny shrines on the Yagnapurush
Kund.
If you
want to explore the unexplored then a boat ride at the Akshardham is a must.
There is an artificial river that passes through the Takshashila, the world's
biggest. The peacock shaped boats known as Sanskruti Vihar, takes the visitors
on a 10,000 year old journey of Indian history in just about 12 minutes.
Another
important feature inside the temple is the beautiful garden known as Garden of
India. Popular as Bharat Upavan, the Garden of India spreads over acres and
acres of well manicured lawns, large trees and a host of other plants and
shrubs. The garden also has several bronze sculptures of famous Indian
personalities that have contributed to India's history and culture. The various
sculptures include the figures of freedom fighters, and other important people
of India. Out of all the sculptures the most notable one is that of Mahatma
Gandhi's.
The
Narayan Sarovar is a holy lake that surrounds the main building of the
Akshardham temple. The Narayan Sarovar contains waters from about 151 lakes and
Rivers that were blessed by the famous Swaminarayan. There are 108 gaumukhs
surrounding the pious lake that symbolize Janmangal Namavali.
The
AARSH is a research center within the Akshardham complex. This research center
is a place where eminent scholars and students carry out practical research and
studies on social harmony and other related topics. Researchers in India can
conduct research and affiliate their research papers with this institute. There
are also numerous foreign students that travel to this research instate to
carry out studies in topics like rural welfare, medicine, ecology social
welfare etc.
More Info about Akshardham Temple
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