Akshardham Mandir

Akshardham mandir is a Hindu temple located in New Delhi. This is the biggest Hindu temple in the world. The architect and creator of the Akshardham mandir are Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. Akshardham Mandir is built on 100 acres. The pink stone and white marble have been used to construct this temple. Akshardham Mandir was inaugurated on 6 November 2005. The idols of the god Sita-Ram, Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Lakshmi Narayan, Parvati Shiv, and Radha Krishna are there in this temple.

Major attractions of the Akshardham mandir:

1. Abhishek Mandap:

In the Akshardham mandir, there is an Abhishek mandap provided for performing the Abhishek ritual on the idol of Neelkanth Varni. People have to donate INR 50 for doing the Abhishek ritual, and 10 to 15 minutes is given to every person to perform this ritual.

2. Narayan Sarovar:

The Narayan Sarovar surrounds the Akshardham mandir.

3. Gates of Akshardham mandir:

The Akshardham mandir has 4 gates: welcome gate, bhakti dwar, Mayur dwar, and Daksh dwar. The Daksh dwar is the symbol of ten directions. Mayur dwar represents Indian culture, and Eight hundred sixty-nine peacocks designs are carved on this dwar. Bhakti dwar is the dwar of the Visitor Center.

4. Charanarvind:

In the Charanarvind, the big footprint of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is placed. Only 30 minutes are given to each person to see the charanarvind.

5. Mandir:

A big idol of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is placed in the mandir, and the place where the idol is situated is known as garbhagruh. In the mandir, there are 9 mandapams and 2 peeth (narayan peeth and gajendra peeth). Elephant designs are carved on the Gajendra Peeth stone. Only 30 minutes are given to each person to visit the temple between 9:30 am to 8:00 pm.

6. Exhibitions:

There are three halls, sahajanand darshan hall, neelkanth darshan hall, and Sanskruti darshan hall, available for the exhibition in the mandir.

• Sahajanand darshan hall: This is the first exhibition which includes 6-7 halls, and visitors see various elements of the swami's life as they move from one hall to the next. It features a short film, robot demonstrations, and a simulated rain forest with genuine water where Bhagwan Swaminarayan prayed for seven years. Real water pours down into the manmade ravines in the rain forest, splashing the realistic statues of Swamiji in various sadhana mudras. The time for visiting sahajanand darshan hall is Tuesday to Friday from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. Only 60 minutes are given to each person to see this exhibition.
• Neelkanth darshan hall: In this theatre or hall, a movie named Neelkanth Yatra is shown for 45 minutes. The visiting timings of neelkanth darshan hall are the same as the visiting timings of Sahajanand darshan hall.
• Sanskruti darshan hall: A boat ride of 12 minutes is available in this hall. They showed statues and robots of ancient Indian scientists, surgeons, mathematicians, poets, doctors, and artists who contributed to the country's rich cultural history. The peacock-shaped boat floats through the halls on a tiny water channel. A speaker mounted in front of the boat provided commentary on the sights we passed through. The visiting timings of sanskruti darshan hall are also the same.

7. Thematic gardens:

Well-kept grounds encircle the Akshardham temple. Yogi Hriday Kamal and Bharat Upavan are 2 thematic gardens of the Akshardham mandir. The Yogi Hriday Kamal thematic garden is a lotus-d garden, whereas Bharat Upavan is a green garden with 7 horse statues.

8. Yagnapurush Kund:

It is the world's biggest stairwell, leading down to the Yagna Kund. A stunning sound and light performance in the Kund at night-time is the ideal way to end the evening. Musical fountains dance to the melodies of the flute, veena, and tabla while people sit on the kund's stairs. The theme of the show is Birth, Life, and Death.

'Premvati Ahargriha' is available inside the temple premises for lunch, dinner, and breakfast.

These all are the attractions of the Akshardham mandir.