The main Akshardham temple complex

Swaminarayan Akshardham is a Hindu temple complex in Delhi, India. Inaugurated in November 2005 by the President of India, Abdul Kalam, the Prime Minisiter, Manmohan Singh, and the leader of the organisation responsible for the creation of Akshardham, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, this complex has already attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all over the globe. A Hindu (archaic Hindoo) is an adherent of philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of India (Bharat), Nepal, and the island of Bali. ... The word temple has different meanings in the fields of architecture, religion, geography, anatomy, and education. ... This article deals with the metropolis of Delhi. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (Tamil ஏ. பி. ேஜ. அப்துல் கலாம்; Hindi: अबुल् फ़किर् ज़य्नुल् अबिदीन् अब्दुल् क़लाम; Urdu:ابو الفقیر زین العبدین ابدل کلام)), born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred to as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is the President of India. ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... Dr. Manmohan Singh (Punjabi: , Hindi: ) is the fourteenth, and current, Prime Minister of India. ... Pramukh Swami Maharaj (born December 7, 1921 in the village of Chansad in Gujarat, India) is a spiritual leader of the Hindu organization of Bochasanwasi Akshar-Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). ...

The complex comprises of 5 main attractions.

The Mandir

The main building at the centre of the complex houses an 11ft high, gilded cult image of Swaminarayan, a 17th century reformer whose followers believe to be an incarnation of God. The building itself is built of Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble. At 141 ft high, its impressive presence is felt from afar, and its carved details of flora, fauna, dancers, musicians and Gods covering its surfaces from top to bottom, leave most visitors in awe. In the practice of religion, a cult image is a man-made object that is venerated for the spirit or daemon that it embodies. ... Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan Swaminarayan (April 2, 1781 - 1830) was born Ghanshyam Maharaj to a brahmin family in the village of Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India. ... Look up Incarnation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Incarnation, which literally means enfleshment, refers to the conception, and live birth of a sentient creature (generally human) who is the material manifestation of an entity or force whose original nature is immaterial. ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being ascribed by monotheistic religions to be the creator, ruler and/or the sum total of, existence. ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the geographically largest state in northwestern India. ... Carrara is a city in the Massa Carrara province of Tuscany, Italy, famous for the white or blue_gray marble quarried there. ... Flora may refer to: Flora (goddess), a goddess in Roman mythology Flora (plants), a collective term for plant life; as distinct from fauna (animals) Flora (microbiology), the collective bacteria and other microorganisms in an animal host 8 Flora, an asteroid A brand of margarine made by Unilever. ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life, as distinct from Flora (plant life) Fauna is an ancient Roman goddess. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ... This article is about deities or gods from a non-monotheistic perspective. ...

The Exhibitions

Hall 1, named 'Sahajanand Pradarshan', features life-like robotics, dioramas, and scenes from Swaminarayan's life, portraying his message of peace, harmony, humility, service to others and devotion to God. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with robot. ... A diorama is a partially three dimensional model of a landscape typically showing historical events, nature scenes, cityscapes, etc. ...

Hall 2, named Nilkanth Kalyan Yatra, houses Delhi's first and only large format screen. The theatre shows a movie specially commisioned for the complex that shows the journey Swaminarayan made during his teenage years across the length and breadth of India.

Hall 3, named Sanskruti Vihar, takes visitors on a journey through 10,000 years of Indian history in 10 minutes. Visitors sit in specially designed peacock boats that make their way around an artificial river, passing the worlds first university, chemistry laboratories, ancient hospitals and bazaars, finally ending with a message for the future of India. Prehistory The prehistory of India goes back to the old Stone age (Palaeolithic). ... Peacock re-directs here; for alternate uses see Peacock (disambiguation). ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... Chemistry (derived from the Arabic word kimia, alchemy, where al is Arabic for the) is the science that deals with the properties of organic and inorganic substances and their interactions with other organic and inorganic substances. ... A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians and nurses. ... A bazaar is a market, often covered, typically found in areas of Muslim culture. ...

The Yagnapurush Kund

The Yagnapurush Kund is India's largest step well. It features a very large series of steps down to a traditional 'yagna kund'. At night, visitors take their places on the steps and watch an inspiring musical fountain and light show. For the Scottish football team, see Motherwell F.C. The Whole Earth Lectronic Link (or The WELL) is one of the oldest virtual communities still online. ...

The Bharat Upavan

The Bharat Upavan, or 'Garden of India', has lush manicured lawns, trees and shrubs, dotted with bronze sculptures of contributors to India's culture, including Children of India, Women of India and Heroes of India

The Yogi Hraday Kamal

This ingenious sunken garden, shaped like a lotus when viewed from above features large stones engraved with quotes from world luminaries ranging from Shakespear and Martin Luther King to Swami Vivekanand and Swaminarayan himself. Lotus berthelotii, Trailing Lotus Nelumbo lutea, the American Lotus The term lotus has a variety of uses. ... William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, Ph. ...

Other Features

• Nilkanth Abishek Mandapam
• Narayan Sarovar
• AARSH Centre
• Premvati Ahargruh

External links

• Akshardham Website
• BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (Organisation responsible for the creation of Akshardham)
• Charitable Activities of the BAPS Organisation across the world
• Aerial view during construction(Google maps)