Baps swaminarayan akshardham: world's 2nd largest hindu temple outside india inaugurated | explained

Curated By : Last Updated:October 11, 2023, 16:13 IST THE TEMPLE, LOCATED 99 KILOMETRES SOUTH OF NEW YORK CITY, IS SPREAD OVER A SPRAWLING 185 ACRES IN NEW JERSEY AND STANDS AT 191 FEET

HIGH. The world’s largest Hindu temple outside of India was recently opened to the public in the United States. Thousands of worshippers thronged the temple called Bochasanwasi Akshar

Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) temple or BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey. The temple, located 99 kilometres south of New York City, is spread over a sprawling 185

acres in New Jersey and stands at 191 feet high. RECOMMENDED STORIES The temple, also called Akshardham Mahamandir, is set to become a significant symbol of Hindu culture and architectural

excellence in the US. _Here is all you need to know about the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham temple:_ * 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 is the second-largest-ever Hindu temple after Angkor Wat, constructed in

the 12th century in Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia. The BAPS Swaminarayan temple took around 13,000 people from around the world, who worked for 12 years on the project. The construction of the

temple began in 2011 and was completed this year. * The temple’s design incorporates a central main shrine, 12 sub-shrines, nine shikhars and nine pyramidal shikhars, according to reports.

It also houses the largest elliptical dome of the traditional stone architecture ever constructed and designed to last a thousand years. * The temple has been designed according to ancient

Hindu scriptures and includes design element from Indian culture. The temple has around 10,000 statues, decorative arches and intricate carvings of the stories from Ramayana and Mahabharat.

It has more than 150 Indian musical instruments and all the major dance postures on its pillars and walls. * During the construction of the temple, 1.9 million cubic feet of stone were used

and brought from over 29 different sites around the world, including Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Turkey and India. * The stones were first shipped to India, where they were intricately carved,

then dry assembled there to make sure that it’s going to fit when it came here, disassembled and then shipped again to the US. * 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. * The temple is named after Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a religious leader who lived in the late 1700s. Swaminarayan reestablished Hindu Sanatan Dharma,

cleansing traditions and rituals of the impurities that had seeped in over time. His contributions have been hailed by Hindus and dignitaries of other faiths as truly transforming the lives

of millions of individuals. * BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardhams are landmarks of Hindu art, architecture, and culture and serve as spiritual and community hubs, open to people of all faiths and

backgrounds. The first Akshardham was created in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat, India, in 1992, followed by Akshardham in New Delhi in 2005. * Randhir Jaiswal, the Consul General of

India in New York, shared a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who stated, “I am pleased to learn about the opening celebrations of the Akshardham Mahamandir in Robbinsville, New

Jersey. It is an occasion of profound spiritual significance for vast religion of devotees worldwide. India’s enduring and illustrious spiritual heritage, holds timeless and universal

relevance." _(With inputs from agencies)_ ABOUT THE AUTHOR Majid Alam Majid Alam is a Senior Sub Editor at News18.com. He has reported stories on politics, policy, environment and

health. He loves to combine data and multimedia tools to produce compelling stories for digital plat...Read More Majid Alam is a Senior Sub Editor at News18.com. He has reported stories on

politics, policy, environment and health. He loves to combine data and multimedia tools to produce compelling stories for digital plat... Read More News explainers BAPS Swaminarayan

Akshardham: World's 2nd Largest Hindu Temple Outside India Inaugurated | EXPLAINED