Akshardham Temple's 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 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.
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.
Location of Akshardham Temple, Delhi:
The sprawling Swaminarayan Akshardham complex spread over 30 acres
on the banks of the Yamuna near Noida Mor in East Delhi.
Entry fee for Akshardham Temple, 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 everyday,
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.
Exhibition in Akshardham Temple, Delhi:
The complex also 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.