Akshardham (New Jersey)
| Akshardham | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Proper name | Swaminarayan Akshardham |
| Devanagari | अक्षरधाम |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| Location | Robbinsville |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Swaminarayan |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Vastu Shastra and Pancharatra Shastra |
| Inscriptions | A unique complex of Indian culture |
| History and governance | |
| Date built | 2017 (estimate) |
| Creator | Pramukh Swami Maharaj |
| Website | http://www.akshardham.com |
The Akshardham (Devnagari: स्वामिनारायण अक्षरधाम) temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey is dedicated to Swaminarayan and built by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. When completed, the mandir will be larger than its parent structures at Delhi and Gandhinagar in India. The mandir was inaugurated and opened to the public on August 10, 2014.[1][2][3] Final construction is planned to be completed by 2017.[1]
The mandir is currently planned (masterplanned by ) to be spread over 162 acres. This would make it the largest Hindu temple in the world, in terms of land coverage.[4] Currently, the largest Hindu temple is the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam in Tamil Nadu, which covers 156 acres.
The planned main building of the temple will have 4 floors. The complex plans to have an exhibit dedicated to Indian history and culture, and a youth activity center. The architects have taken elements of both Southern and Northern Indian temples, and the embellished temple will have ornate pillars and panels depicting scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and ancient scriptures. The halls will have full-size idols of important leaders of the sect.[5]
More than 2,000 artisans are laboring over various parts of the temple at Dungarpur, Pindwada and Sangwada. The finished parts are shipped to US where they are assembled by master craftsmen.
External links
- BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha- Organisation responsible for the creation of Akshardham
References
- 1 2 "New Jersey Welcomes BAPS Hindu Temple - One Of The Only Traditional Stone Mandirs In North America". HuffingtonPost. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ↑ "Stunning Hindu temple in New Jersey is one of the largest in America". Daily News. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Thousands celebrate dedication of traditional Hindu temple in Robbinsville". NJ. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
- ↑ http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/worlds-largest-hindu-temple-being-built-new-jersey-n166616
- ↑ http://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2014/07/21/150-million-akshardham-temple-coming-new-jersey/
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Coordinates: 40°15′11″N 74°34′39″W / 40.25313°N 74.57740°W