US Akshardham Temple, Second Largest In The World, Opens For Devotees

Spread over a sprawling 185 acres, the Akshardham Temple in Robbinsville City of New Jersey about 99 kilometres south of New York City stands at 191 feet high.

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, world largest Hindu temple outside India in the modern era, which will be inaugurated in New Jersey.

Source : PTI

The largest Hindu temple in the U.S. opened its doors in New Jersey to devotees on Sunday. The Akshardham Temple is billed to be the second largest temple in the world and the largest in the western hemisphere. Spread over a sprawling 185 acres, the Akshardham Temple in Robbinsville City of New Jersey about 99 kilometres south of New York City stands at 191 feet high. The temple was inaugurated on October 8 in the presence of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) leader Mahant Swami Maharaj, with several thousand people attending the event.

“It was Pramukh Swami Maharaj's divine wish to construct an Akshardham in North America, where people can come and visit, irrespective of race, creed or religion,” said Mahant Swami Maharaj.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Delaware Governor John Carney and Congressman Steny Hoyer.

“It is the second largest ever Hindu temple on this globe planet and of course, the largest in the Western hemisphere, which was inaugurated on October 8th, on the 90th birthday celebrations of Mahant Swami Maharaj. It was dedicated to this society, to humanity,” Gnanvatsaldas Swami, senior BAPS leader and motivational speaker, told PTI.

He said that the basic purpose of creating temples is to “inspire people with values”.

“So, this is a monument dedicated to Indian culture and tradition. It's a monument dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life and teachings,” he said.

The temple has the story of Ramayana, Mahabharat carved on its stones. It has more than 150 Indian musical instruments and all the major dance postures on its pillars and wall.

Stones from seven different countries, including Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Turkey, India, were used in the temple construction.

Yogi Trivedi, a scholar of religion and media at Columbia University said that all the stones represent different cultural streams and that they have come together. These stones were shipped to India, intricately carved, then dry assembled to make sure that it's going to fit the temple. 

As one walks in the Akshardham, the Brahmakund or the step wall at the front has the water from 400 different rivers and lakes from around the world: Africa, Australia, the US. It has water from Ganga and Yamuna in India, and Mississippi and East River and Lake Michigan from the US. 

This is not just a Hindu story or a Hindu American story, it is an Americanand a global story, Trivedi said.