Akshardham is a Swaminarayan temple complex in New Delhi, A traditional mandir (temple) dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Also referred to as Delhi Akshardham or Swaminarayan Akshardham. 'Akshardham' means the divine abode of God. The temple, which attracts all tourists who visit Delhi officially opened on 6th November 2005. It sits near the banks of the Yamuna adjacent to the 2010 Commonwealth Games village in eastern New Delhi. Swaminarayan Akshardham 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. The Akshardham experience is an enlightening journey through India’s glorious art, values, and contributions for the progress, happiness, and harmony of mankind. the complex displays millennia of traditional Hindu and Indian culture, spirituality, and architecture.
Swaminarayan Akshardham built along the river Yamuna and lies over an area of around 100 acres with beautiful gardensAkshardham temple New Delhi, water fountains and carved pavilions. Designed in accordance with the standards of Maharishi Vastu Architecture, it features a blend of architectural styles from across India. It is constructed entirely from Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble and has no support from steel or concrete. The monument also consists of 234 ornately carved pillars, nine domes, and 20,000 murtis and statues of sadhus, devotees, and acharyas. The monument also features the Gajendra Pith at its base, a plinth paying tribute to the elephant for its importance in Hindu culture and India's history. It contains 148 scale sized elephants in total and weighs a total of 3000 tons.
The building is the second monument inspired and developed by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual head of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, whose 3,000 volunteers helped 7,000 artisans construct Akshardham. One of the surreal experiences that one can witness while basking in the glory of Hindu culture is Nilkanth Varni Abhishek. Nilkanth Varni Abhishek is a ritual of offering prayer to the higher powers for congenital peace not just for one's family, but also for every living creature on this planet. Hall of Values, cultural tour via a boat ride and watching the enlightening story of an eleven-year-old yogi named Nilkanth, who revived spiritualism and Indian culture, are all part of the spiritual journey through the boulevards of Akshardham Temple. It is indeed a true experience to be kept in your heart for the rest of your life!
WHAT TO SEE
- Hall of Values Named Sahajanand Pradarshan, the Hall of Values features life-like robotics and dioramas which display incidents from Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life, portraying his message of peace, harmony, humility, service to others and devotion to God. The hall features the world’s smallest animatronic robot in the form of Ghanshyam Maharaj, the child form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
- Theatre Named Nilkanth Kalyan Yatra, the theatre houses Delhi’s first and only large format screen, measuring 85-foot (26 m) by 65-foot (20 m). The theatre shows a film especially commissioned for the complex, Nilkanth Yatra, to recount the journey Bhagwan Swaminarayan made during his teenage years throughout India. An international version of the film called Mystic India was released in 2005 at IMAX and giant screen cinemas worldwide. A 27-foot (8.2 m) tall bronze statue of Nilkanth Varni is outside the theatre.
- Boat ride Named Sanskruti Vihar, this ride takes visitors on a journey through 10,000 years of Indian history in approximately 10 minutes. Visitors sit in specially designed peacock shaped boats that make their way around an artificial river, passing the world’s first university, chemistry laboratories, ancient hospitals, and bazaars, finally ending with a message for the future of India.
- Musical fountain Known as the Yagnapurush Kund, it is India’s largest step well. It features a very large series of steps down to a traditional ‘yagna kund’. During the day, these steps provide rest for the visitors to the complex and at night, a musical fountain show representing the circle of life is played to an audience that is seated on the same steps. The fountain is named after the founder of the Hindu organization, Shastriji Maharaj.
- Garden of India Also known as the Bharat Upavan, this garden has lush manicured lawns, trees, and shrubs. The garden is lined with bronze sculptures of contributors to India’s culture, including Children of India, Women of India, and Heroes of India.
- The Yogi Hraday Kamal – This sunken garden, shaped like a lotus when viewed from above features large stones engraved with quotes from world luminaries ranging from Shakespeare and Martin Luther King, to Swami Vivekananda and Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
- Neelkanth Abishek – Devotees offer abhishek, a ritual of pouring water on to the murti of Nilkanth Varni and express their reverence and prayers for spiritual upliftment and fulfillment of wishes.
- Narayan Sarovar – A lake that surrounds the main Akshardham monument. The lake contains holy waters from 151 rivers and lakes sanctified by Bhagwan Swaminarayan, including Mansarovar. Surrounding the Narayan Sarovar are 108 gaumukhs, symbolizing Janmangal Namavali or the 108 names for god, from which holy water issues forth.
- Premvati Ahargruh – A vegetarian restaurant modeled on the Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra, India and an Ayurvedic bazaar.
- AARSH Centre – Short for Akshardham Centre for Applied Research in Social Harmony, this center, by study-action, will apply the research of social harmony and more topics related to this.
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