Swaminarayan Akshardham

स्वामीनारायण अक्षरधाम

A temple complex completed in 2005, the largest Hindu temple complex in the world, with pink sandstone and white marble carved with deities and elephants, and a musical fountain show in the evening.

Swaminarayan Akshardham stands on the east bank of the Yamuna River in east Delhi. The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) built it over five years, mobilising 11,000 artisans and volunteers, and it was completed in 2005. Covering 100 acres, it is one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in the world. The main shrine is 43 metres high and 96 metres wide. It uses no steel at all and is made of Rajasthan pink sandstone and Italian white marble. More than 20,000 figures of deities, sages and dancers are carved on the exterior walls and 234 stone columns. Around the base is a ring of 148 elephant reliefs in different poses, called the Elephant Plinth. Inside the shrine is a 3-metre gilded statue of Swaminarayan. The grounds also have three paid exhibition halls: a robotic wax figure show, a film on Indian culture, and a 12-minute boat ride through ten thousand years of Indian history. A combined ticket costs about 250 rupees. There are also lotus-shaped gardens and an evening musical fountain show (about 100 rupees), which starts about 30 minutes after sunset and lasts about 24 minutes. Entry to the complex is free. It is open 10:00-20:00, with last entry at 18:30, and it is closed on Mondays. Getting there: walk 10 minutes from Akshardham station on the Blue Line metro. Notes: security is very strict. Phones, cameras, electronics, bags and food are not allowed inside (free luggage storage is available at the entrance), so photography inside the grounds is not possible. Clothing must cover shoulders and knees, and free wraps are provided. Plan to enter around 15:30. This lets you see the exhibitions and still catch the fountain show. The whole visit takes about 3 hours.

Swaminarayan Akshardham

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