Pages

Showing posts with label delhi temples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label delhi temples. Show all posts

Saturday, February 5, 2011

AKSHARDHAM MANDIR

Akshardham Temple






AKSHARDHAM MANDIR

Swaminarayan
Akshardham reflects the essence and magnitude of India's ancient
architecture, traditions and timeless spirituality.
The
main monument, depicting ancient Indian "vastu shastra" and
architecture, is a marvel in pink sandstone and white marble that is 141 feet
high, 316 feet wide and 370 feet long with 234 ornate pillars, over 20,000
sculptures and statues of deities, eleven 72-foot-high huge domes (mandapams)
and decorative arches. And like a necklace, a double-storied parikrama of red
sandstone encircles the monuments with over 155 small domes and 1,160
pillars. The whole monument rises on the shoulders of 148 huge elephants with
11-feet tall panchdhatu statue of Swaminarayan presiding over the structure.


Location: On NH 24, Mayur Vihar,
Ph: 22016688, 22026688
Nearest Metro Station:
Akshardham
Timings: 11am to 8pm
Entry Fee: Free
(For Exhibition halls and theatres,
Adults & kids:  125, senior
Citizens:  75)
Days Closed: Mondays
Photography: Not allowed


The
other attractions of the complex are three exhibition halls spaced around two
huge ponds, where one is a venue for light-and-sound show. The three halls
are "Sahajanand Darshan", "Neelkanth Darsdhan" and
"Sanskruti Vihar". "Sahajanand Darshan" is where life of
Swaminarayan is displayed through robotic shows, while "Neelkanth
Darsdhan" has a huge I-Max theatre screening movie based on the life of
the Lord. Another amazing presentation is "Sanskruti Vihar" with
12-minute boat ride experience of India's glorious heritage.

The
sprawling Swaminarayan Akshardham complex spread over 30 acres on the banks
of the Yamuna near Noida Mor in East Delhi.

For
visitors, entry to the complex is free. However, those who want to visit
exhibition halls and theatres, Rs.125 is to be paid and for children and
senior citizens the charges are Rs.75. "Over 6,000 visitors could easily
witness the shows and enjoy boat-rides every day, while over 25,000 people
can visit the temple. We have deployed almost 140 guides who will facilitate
visitors during their visit. It requires at least four hours to visit the
entire complex thoroughly and see all the shows," said a temple
management committee member, adding that the opening ceremony would be
telecast live on Aastha channel. Elaborate security arrangements have also
been made for the entire complex. Besides installing close circuit television
cameras it has also deployed hundreds of its own security personnel.







The
Rs.400-crore cultural complex, inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj of the
Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), will be
popularised by its builders as "a place for cultural education and
entertainment". The temple complex has drawn inspiration for its
architecture from the historic temples of Badrinath (Uttaranchal), Somnath
(Gujarat) and Konark (Orissa). It is the second Akshardham complex in the
country after the one at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
Even
as last-minute preparations are now on for the inauguration, curious visitors
have started coming in for a look or for offering "PUJA" and
"ABHISHEK".




At
the heart of the complex is a palace-like monument built of at least 12,000
tons of pink sandstone and white marble brought in from Rajasthan. Topped
with a series of domes, it stands 129 feet high, 275 feet wide and 315 feet
long. Almost every square inch of the exterior has been exquisitely carved
with statues and motifs of Hindu deities and Indian flora and fauna.
Pramukh
Swami Maharaj, the 83-year-old spiritual leader of the Swaminarayan sect that
has over 10 lakh followers across the globe, has closely monitored every
detail of the complex. It took over 7,000 builders, masons and polishers to
build the complex in record time. The place is built to withstand major
quakes "and to last at least a thousand years".
The
complex has two huge exhibition halls; one will take visitors on a visual
journey through India's cultural heritage, while the other "will depict
Indian moral values through a light-and-sound show". The complex also
boasts of an Imax cinema, a canteen big enough to accommodate 5,000 people at
one sitting, a research centre for "social harmony" and meditation
gardens dotted with fountains and bronze sculptures.