Akshardham

Akshardham may refer to:

Philosophy

Buildings or Monuments

Events

Transportation

Akshardham (New Jersey)

The Akshardham (Devnagari: स्वामिनारायण अक्षरधाम) temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey is dedicated to Swaminarayan and built by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. When completed, the mandir will be larger than its parent structures at Delhi and Gandhinagar in India. The mandir was inaugurated and opened to the public on August 10, 2014. Final construction is planned to be completed by 2017.

The mandir is currently planned to be spread over 162 acres. This would make it the largest Hindu temple in the world, in terms of land coverage. Currently, the largest Hindu temple is the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam in Tamil Nadu, which covers 156 acres.

The planned main building of the temple will have 4 floors. The complex plans to have an exhibit dedicated to Indian history and culture, and a youth activity center. The architects have taken elements of both Southern and Northern Indian temples, and the embellished temple will have ornate pillars and panels depicting scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and ancient scriptures. The halls will have full-size idols of important leaders of the sect.

Akshardham (Gandhinagar)

Swaminarayan Akshardham in Gandhinagar, Gujarat is a large Hindu temple complex inspired by Pramukh Swami, the current spiritual head of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. Located in the capital of Gujarat, the complex was built over 13 years and is a tribute to Swaminarayan and his life and teachings. At the center of the 23-acre complex is the Akshardham mandir, which is built from 6,000 metric tons of pink sandstone from Rajasthan. The complex’s name refers to the divine abode of Swaminarayan in the BAPS philosophy; followers of Swaminarayan believe that the jiva or soul goes to Akshardham after attaining moksha, or liberation. BAPS followers worship Swaminarayan as God almighty.

Akshardham Mandir

The focal point of the complex is the Akshardham Mandir, which measures 108 feet high, 131 feet wide and 240 feet long and features 97 carved pillars, 17 domes, 8 balconies, 220 stone beams and 264 sculpted figures. In accordance with Vedic architectural principles, no steel or iron has been used anywhere in the mandir. 20 foot-long stone beams, each weighing five tons, have been used as load-bearing support throughout the mandir. The mandir’s central chamber houses a seven-foot-tall, gold-leafed murti, or sacred image, of Swaminarayan, who is worshipped by followers as God. The murti rests upon a three-foot pedestal and weighs 1.2 tons. It is flanked by the murtis of the ideal devotee, Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami and Aksharmukta Goplanand Swami, both in postures of loving devotion toward Swaminarayan. In each of the four corners of the mandir sits a life-sized marble murti of the lineages of gurus or successors of Swaminarayan revered by BAPS. The first floor of the mandir is known as the Vibhuti Mandapam and features lotus-shaped displays describing the spiritual character of Swaminarayan, while the basement of the mandir, called the Prasadi Mandapam, houses a historical display of various sacred relics from Swaminarayan’s life.