The enormous Akshardham temple located in Delhi is a great destination for a day trip. Built on the banks of Yamuna River, this temple was built on 100 acres of lush gardens with water fountains and carved pavilions. Also known as the Disneyland devotional India, the temple has a high-tech sound and light show and a study of 3-D animation to add to his greatness.
A visit to the Akshardham temple takes you through a unique journey through India's glorious art, values and 10,000 years of Indian culture. Tourists can also experience the traditions and timeless spiritual messages of ancient India here. The design reflects the style of temple architecture of Hindu temples in India - especially Rajasthan, Orissa, Gujarat, Mughal and Jain. Built entirely of marble and red sandstone, the temple has been built without the use of steel.
What to see
All items on the Akshardham temple represent the Hindu mythology and offer a relaxing experience for the mind and soul. The temple has 20,000 statues, 234 columns and arches adorned many sprinkled with floral motifs and exquisite carvings.
The main attraction in the temple is the monument itself is about 141 meters. Aside from the ornate pillars, the monument also has nine domes decorated, 20 shikhars ring, a spectacular Gajendra and statues spinal 20,000 and murtis of great devotees of India, Acharyas, sadhus and divine personalities. The temple is a fusion of pink stone (a symbol of Bhakti) and pure white marble (symbolizing purity eternal peace).
The 11-foot statue of Lord Swaminarayan High is in the Garbagruh (shrine) of the monument. You can also get a glimpse of the deities of Sanatana Dharma, Sita Ram, Radha Krishna, Lakshmi Narayan, Shiva and Parvati Chaturvyuh of twenty-four or murtis Keshav Sanctorium God within the sanctuary. This complex is surrounded by a lake of sacred water called Narayan Sarovar containing sacred waters from 151 rivers and lakes, including Mansarovar. The Narayan Sarovar is surrounded by 108 Gaumukhs, symbolizing God's 108 names. Beautiful and full lotus flowers bloomed in the lake spread an inspirational message of purity and detachment.
Adorned the wall outside the main Akshardham monument is known as the Mandovar. Carved, the Mandovar has 200 carved stone figures of great rishis of India, sadhus, devotees, acharyas and divine incarnations.
The parikrama Akshardham is red stone from Rajasthan. A whopping 53,956 stones were used to construct the parikrama.
Narayan marrow has beautiful bronze relief panels illustrating the facts of the divine life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
Gajendra spinal honoring the elephant is sculpted according to the ancient Shilpa shastras of India. Stretch 1070 feet, bone is carved in stone Gajendra pink and features the stories and legends of the elephants with nature, man and God.
The Akshardham also has an exhibition hall or concert hall where you can get a deeper insight into the background of Akshardham and Indian culture. The room also known as values Sahajanand Darshan has a audio-animatronics show featuring the universal values of humanity represented by performances of the life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Neelkanth Darshan is a film on the giant screen film has an exciting and inspiring pilgrimage of Neelkanth Varni, a child-yogi, from the 18 th century. The Sanskruti Vihar offers a fascinating journey in 12 minutes by boat 10,000 years of India's glorious heritage.
Akshardham also has a musical fountain in combination with a Vedic yagna kund. The Upvan Bharat or India garden bronze statues symbolizing the role of large models in India.
The sunken garden in the shape of lotus, the Yogi Harday Kamal is another attraction. Huge stones engraved with quotes from Shakespeare and personalities such as Martin Luther King can be seen here.
Akshardham is a vegetarian restaurant inspired by the Ajanta and Ellora and an ayurvedic bazaar.
Remember this!
* The temple is open 9:00 a.m.-9 pm Tuesday through Sunday. It is closed on Mondays.
* There are few steps to the temple entrance. Only small purses or wallets women men are allowed. Cell phones and other electronic devices are prohibited.
* While the Akshardham complex entrance is free, visitors must buy tickets for exhibitions and light and sound show inside the complex.
* Be prepared to go through a security checkpoint at the entrance.
