World’s largest Hindu temple - Akshardham Mandir

Dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a Jain deity, the magnificent Akshardham temple is located on the banks of River Yamuna. It is a part of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha’s (BAPS) initiative to promote Indian art, culture and values.

The majestic entrance to the temple.

The beautiful temple is constructed entirely with pink marble, without any concrete or steel! It enshrines a huge eleven foot, gilded statue of Bhagwan Swaminarayan made with five different metals (Panchadhatu)

The temple and its surroundings are masterpieces of art! It reflects Indian spirituality and heritage. 

Don't miss the gardens!

Photography is not allowed inside the temple, so I could not capture the majestic temple in its grandeur. However, I have reproduced photos of the temple as printed in the temple brochure for your viewing.

Souvenir shop

An overview of the temple complex

 It hold the The Guiness World Record for being the World’s Largest Comprehensive Hindu Temple.

The temple has been described as follows in the Guinness World Records: 

·     The largest Hindu temple is the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham with a total area of 8,021.43 m² (86, 342 ft²) built by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in New Delhi, India and inaugurated on 6 November 2005.
·         BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi, India, is the world’s largest Hindu temple. It measures 356 ft long, 316 ft wide and 141 ft high. The grand, ancient-style temple built within 5 years by 11,000 artisans without structural steel was consecrated on 6 November 2005 by its creator His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, spiritual leader of BAPS. The temple showcases the essence of India’s ancient art, traditions and wisdom.

The perimeter...

Inside the complex

The fountain!

The cultural journey....

Beautiful artistic carvings along the walls

Unparalleled craftsmanship!

The illuminated temple

Inside the temple

The ornate gates!

Tips:

-          -The temple is closed on Mondays

-          -To witness the beautiful ride inside the temples complex which showcases India’s glorious heritage, reach early, as many a times, there are long queues for these rides.

-          -Plan to spend a full day at this magnificent temple.

-          -Snacks and refreshments are available with the temple complex.

-         - Travel light as mobile phones, cameras and refreshments are not allowed inside the temple and its surroundings. A cloak room is available to store electronic items.

-Nearest Metro station is Akshardham which is located at a walkable distance from the temple. There are rickshaws also, near the station, which are very convenient for those who do not prefer to walk.

For more information about this majestic temple, please visit its website: http://www.akshardham.com/

Lotus temple, Delhi

A view of the serene Lotus temple.

Our next stop was the famous, Bahai House of Worship, popularly known as the Lotus temple. It is designed in the shape of 27 blooming lotus petals and is a white marble structure.



From close quarters...


Situated towards the east of Nehru place in Delhi, it has been designed by Iranian architect, Fariburz Sabha. Encircled by nine pools in sprawling green lawns and gardens, spanning an area of 227 acres, this modern structure was completed in 1986.



An aerial view of the beautiful lawns surrounding the temple...



Glimpse of one of the serene pool's...

It is the last of seven major Bahai temples* built around the world.
The lotus shape was chosed as the symbol common to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam.

*The other six Bahai temples are located in:
o Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.
o Kampala, Uganda
o Sydney (Ingleside), Australia
o Frankfurt (Langenhain-Hofheim), Germany
o Panama City, Panama
o Tiapapata, Samoa
o Santiago, Chile (currently under construction)

The Bahai sect originated in Persia and is based on a view of humanity as one single race. All Bahaí temples share certain architectural elements, some of which are specified by Bahaí scripture. Abdul-Baha stipulated that an essential architectural character of a House of Worship be that it requires to have a nine-sided circular shape (Nonagon)

Temple timings: Winter: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, Summer: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, the temple is open on throughout the week except on Monday.

For more details check its website: http://www.bahaihouseofworship.in/


"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
- Bahaullah

Laxmi Narayan Temple – Jaipur

We started the Jaipur City tour, by first visiting, the famous Laxmi Narayan temple, or Birla temple. It was built in 1988, by the Birla Group of Industries, one of the business tycoons of India. Situated just below the Moti Doongri hill, in the southern part of Jaipur, one can get a beautiful view of the Moti Dongri fort, which was built like a Scottish castle, from this place.

Constructed of pure white marble and surrounded by lush green gardens, this temple is dedicated to Lord Narayan (Vishnu), the preserver and his consort, Lakshmi devi, the Goddess of Wealth.

The temple has attractive stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Hindu mythology and rich carvings in pure white marble. It also portrays great historical achievers, philosophers and religious saints such as Socrates, Zarathustra, Christ, Buddha, and Confucius.

The three huge domes of the temple represent the different approaches to religion.
One can reach this lovely temple, easily from the city, by taking the local bus, rickshaw or taxi.

When walking barefoot * inside the temple, the coolness of the marble surface felt, under my feet, evoked a feeling of deep peace, satisfaction and gratitude towards life !


*one has to walk in, barefoot, whilst entering any of the temples in India, as a sign of respect to the deities in the temple. This also contributes significantly towards maintaining the cleanliness of the temple too!

The Celestial Madanikas !

The most marvelous specimens of Hoysala architecture, found exclusively at Belur in Karnataka are the angled bracket figures depicting celestial nymphs. All the 42 beautiful and expressive damsels are depicted in various forms as singing, dancing or executing daily chores and are described in detail below:

1) Darpana Sundari – A lady holding the mirror in the left hand and admiring her beauty.
2) A lady with a parrot perched on the fore palm of her right hand.
3) A lady holding the folded betel leaves in the left hand.
4) A Lady in her make up.
5) A monkey tugging the lady’s saree, and she is trying to beat it.
6) Aiming an arrow at a bird – the huntress.
7) Dressing her hair after a bath.
8) Tribhangi Nritya – A lady dancing by bending her body into three portions, one from the waist downward, other from the waist to the chest and another upwards. This is said to be the most difficult one, so far no other dancer has been able to exhibit this.
9) Holding a drum in her left hand and playing it with the right hand.
10) A lady playing the flute.
11) A lady singing with time.
12) Bewitching beauty: The canopy above her left shoulder depicts a jackfruit and a fly on it. A lizard intends to catch the fly.
13) A violinist
14) A curly haired beauty arranging her curls on the forehead and looking into the mirror.
15) Plucking a mango with her right hand.
16) The heroic huntress – Dresses as one and is aiming at the birds sitting on the creeper above.
17) Masculine woman: She is wearing a beard and a moustache like a man and is playing a drum.
18) A Saint: She is in the disguise of a saint.
19) The dancer.
20) The songstress holding metallic time keepers in her hands.
21) The divine dancer, and her maids play the musical instruments.
22) The huntress – holding a fork like spear with a skull on top.
23) The huntress returning from a successful hunt.
24) Beauty dance.
25) Bhasma mohini dance depicting the form of Mohini
26) Frightened of the scorpion in the folds of her sari, she dusts her sari upon which the scorpion falls down.
27) She is beautifully dressed and is waiting for her lover.
28) A gypsy girl – She holds palm leaves in her left hand.
29) After a hearty meal – She had her meal and is about to rest.
30) Nagveena Dance – The expert musician playing her violin, which is in the form of a snake.
31) Bedecked beauty - Admiring herself in the mirror after adoring herself with all sorts of ornaments.
32) The fortune teller – She holds in her left hand a small drum and a timekeeper is set in her right hand, foretelling the future to the world.
33) The Kite dancer – She is standing as if she is tugging the string of a kite using both of her hands.
34) She has tied her hair into a knot, looks like the modern pony – tail.
35) The lady has worn her best dress and ornaments and is ready to go for a dance.
36) Drum dance – She has a beard and a moustache like a man. She is dancing holding a drum in her left hand.
37) She is singing and her maids are playing the musical instruments.
38) She is dancing to a tune with her accomplices on both her sides.

Inside the temple:
39) Lady with her pet parrot – A lady holds a creeper in her right hand and a parrot is sitting on the fore palm of her left hand. She is wearing a bangle in her right hand.
40) Shantaladevi – She is dancing and there is a canopy behind her. She is wearing a gem, just above the middle of her forehead.
41) Gandharva dance – She is wearing many bangles on her fore arm.
42) Kesh Shrungara – She is wringing her hair to sqeeze the water after a bath. One can view the drops of water collected at the tip of her hair.


Seeing is Believing !