Akshardham Temple, New Delhi

 

Introduction:

Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple, commonly known as Akshardham Temple is a well-known Hindu temple and an example of a spiritual-cultural campus in New Delhi. The temple built in a huge area showcases the fusion of traditional and modern Hindu culture, spirituality, and architecture. Today, the Akshardham Temple is one of the prime tourist’s attractions in Delhi.

Main deity: Swaminarayan

Opened on: 6th November 2005

Built by: Pramukh Swami Maharaj (BAPS)

Closed on: Monday

Akshardham Temple:

The doors of the Akshardham Ttemple were officially opened for the general public, on 6 November 2005, after it was inaugurated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, in the presence of ex-President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh, and Leader of Opposition LK Advani.

The temple gets its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Akshardham’, which is actually a combination of two words ‘Akshar’ + ‘Dham’. The word Akshar means ‘eternal, something which cannot get damaged’ and ‘Dham’ means ‘abode’.  Hence, the literal meaning of ‘Akshardham’ is ‘an abode of eternal value, morals, virtues, and principles as mentioned in our age-old Vedas and Puranas.

The temple is located in New Delhi near its border with Noida. 

Planning of the temple:

The Akshardham temple was the vision of Yogiji Maharaj, who was the spiritual head of BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan) around 1968.He wanted to build a grand temple on the banks of the Yamuna River. But, before any progress could be made, Yogiji Maharaj died in 1971.

However, his successor, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, took it as a challenge to fulfil the dream of his guru. Though several places were suggested, Pramukh Swami Maharaj was firm on building the temple on the banks of Yamuna, as per the wishes of Yogiji Maharaj.

Finally, in April 2000, the Delhi Development Authority offered 60 acres of land, and the UP Government offered 30 acres for the project. As soon, the land was allotted, Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed ‘bhoomi-poojan’ and the construction work started on 8 November 2000. The temple was completed in 2005, and Akshardham was officially opened for the public on 6 November 2005.

The architecture of the temple:

The entire temple complex is built based on the principles of Indian Vastu Shastra and Pancharatra Shastra. The temple is an architectural beauty with more than 234 beautifully carved pillars, 9 elaborate domes, 20 quadrangle spires and more than 20,000 sculptures of great spiritual gurus of India. 

The whole temple is built using Italian Carrara marble and pink sandstone from Rajasthan. Nowhere in the temple, has any ferrous metal been used. There is no support from steel or concrete. The temple was designed by BAPS Swamis and Virendra Trivedi, a member of the Sompura family.

On 13 July 2010, a newly designed garbha-gruha was added to the temple. The new sanctum was inaugurated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in the main monument within the temple complex. The new garbha-gruha includes a decorated, canopied sinhasan, which rests the statue of Swaminarayan. The new garbha-gruha features intricate carvings and gold-leafed designs. 

Major attractions within Akshardham Temple:

In addition to the main shrine, there are many more attractions within the temple complex. The Abhishek Mandap, within the Akshardham temple complex, includes a water show, a thematic garden, and three exhibitions. 

Best time to Visit Akshardham Temple:

The temple is open to the general public from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm. The tickets for exhibitions are sold between 10 am and 5 pm. The temple is closed on Mondays.

In terms of months, Delhi is very hot during summers. So, the best time to visit Delhi is during winters from October to March, though December and January are quite cold months and days have a foggy start during these 2 months.

How to reach Akshardham Temple, Delhi

Being located in Delhi, the capital of the country, it is very each to reach Akshardham Temple:

• By Air; Delhi has 2 airports terminals – one international and one domestic. There are flights available from all the major cities of the world. Once you are out of the airport, you can hire a cab or even take a metro to reach Akshardham temple.

• By Train: Delhi is a major railway hub with trains coming from all parts of India. There are quite a few railway stations within Delhi. From there, you can hire a cab, auto, local bus or even metro to reach here.

• By Road: Delhi being the capital has a very good road network, which connects it to all major cities of the country. Major cities nearby Delhi are Ghaziabad (21 km), Noida (23 km), Faridabad (32 km), Chandigarh (250 km), and Jaipur (286 km).

Within Delhi: Delhi has a very good public transport system, which includes DTC buses, and even the metro. There is one particular metro station for Akshardham temple on the ‘Blue Line”