The BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is a place of worship for many people and it has drawn thousands of visitors due to its magnificent architecture and the sanatan Hindu Dharma. The temple is a unique representation of ancient Hindu architecture built in the traditional architectural style of Northwest India which is paired with modern design. It is 191 feet tall and known to be the largest Hindu Mandir in the Western Hemisphere. Over 1.9 million cubic feet of Natural Stone and Marble had been carved into about 10 thousand statues.
At the front of this place stands a 49 feet tall Nilkanth Varni statue which commemorates Swaminarayan’s 49 years on Earth. All over this place it has small scripts attached to the concrete explaining what you are looking at and the story behind it. Behind the Varni statue is a pond with a body of water from about 400 different rivers from around the globe.
The pond contains water from Ganges and Yamuna Rivers from India which are the most sacred in Hinduism. Behind the pond is a sandstone carved goddess building of ancient Hindu architecture which surrounds the white marble mandir. Inside there are a few big statues, a cafeteria section, theater rooms with a small video clip for tourists and a small area of hand carved exquisite marble.
At the center is the magnificent Shikarbaddha mandir which is the white marble architecture. Anyone entering is required to have no footwear inside the Mahamandir floor. There is an elevator upstairs that has another room with so many humongous and miniature statues of Hindu goddesses carved out of the marble. Not a single part of the inside is left empty, everywhere you looked was full historical art. There were a couple pieces of clothes and footwears inside a glass box stated to be worn by Swaminaryans. There were many volunteers who helped us have a successful tour with the correct information. The marble mandir was surrounded with more carving of gods and buildings making the temple bigger and connected.
The experience is spectacular and breathtaking from all perspectives. It is highly recommended to visit BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham at least once in a lifetime. The beauty and the history behind it is so rich and any religion is allowed to enter and financially it is really accessible to most people. The religion and the ancient architecture visualized can be learned about, at no costs to visitors.
Citations