Akshardham Temple

As you all know that India is a nation of Gods and temples. Today we discuss one of the most famous temples of India and the most popular tourist place is Akshardham Temple. It is also known as the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex, in Delhi, is a famous Hindu temple and one of the largest and the most opulent places of Hindus for worship in the world. This temple is dedicated to Swaminarayan, who was an Indian yogi and a spiritual soul who existed during the 18th century. It was created by the Pramukh Swami Maharaj through inspiration from Yogiji Maharaj.

According to the Guinness World Record it is touted as the world’s largest comprehensive  Hindu Temple. This temple is known for its aesthetic beauty, unique exhibitions, sprawling campus, and tranquillity.

Some more information

Name: Akshardham temple, also known as the Swaminarayan Temple

Location: NH 24, Akshardham Setu

Type: Hindu Temple

Dedicated to: Lord Swaminarayan

Created by: Pramukh Swami Maharaj

Year of Establishment: 2005

Made by: BAPS (Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha)

Timings: 9:30am to 8:00pm

The last entry time is 6:30 pm

  Temple closed on Mondays

Aarti timings: 10:00am to 6:00pm

Temple entry fees: Free

Exhibition fee: Free for children below 4 years; Rs.120 for children aged 4 to 11 years; Rs.220 for adults aged 12 years and above; Rs.170 for senior citizens aged 60 years and above

Timing for Exhibition tickets: 10:00am to 7:00pm

Nearest metro station: Akshardham Metro Station

Photography: Not allowed

Mobile and electronics: Not allowed

History of Akshardham Temple

Akshardham Temple came into existence as a result of Shri yogini Maharaj’s wish to build a beautiful and famous complex in Delhi. He got the idea of this temple around 1968 when he was serving as the Spiritual head of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, also known as BAPS. The construction of this temple was done by the Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

For the construction of this temple, the Delhi Development authority granted about 60 acres of land and the Uttar Pradesh government gave 30 acres of land for the erection of this temple. After getting the land, the construction of this temple started in 2000 and was completed in just five years.

After the completion of the temple, it was inaugurated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in the presence of eminent personalities such as Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam, L.K Advani, B.L Joshi, and Dr. Manmohan Singh- previous Prime Minister of India.

Akshardham Temple exterior attractions

• There are 10 gates in the temple for the entrance of the people and every gate symbolizes the ten principal directions present in the Indian culture.
• Another interesting thing is the Bhakti Dwar inside the temple. It is decorated with 208 sculpted dual images of god and his followers.
• The next beautiful sculpture of this temple is the Mayur Dwar which is dedicated to the national bird of India- the Peacock. This door is filled with colors and purity and you feel all the 869 sculpted peacocks come alive as you approach it.

Akshardham Temple interior attractions

• The primary attraction is the Akshardham Temple, the main temple which is dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. The structure of this temple rises to about 141 feet (43m) high, spans 316 feet (96m) wide, and extends up to 356 feet (109m) long.
• The most interesting thing inside the temple is the three exhibitions namely Sahajanand, Neelkanth Darshan, and Sanskruti Darshan.
• Another interesting attraction is the Musical fountain, measuring 300 by 300 feet with exactly 2870 steps, 108 small shrines are India’s largest stepwell. It is also known as the Yagnapurush kund.