| Akshardham, the Swaminarayan temple of Gandhinagar,
is a modern complex, built in traditional Indian architectural
style. The imposing 10 storey high monument is made entirely
of intricately carved, 6000 tons of pink sand-stone from
Rajasthan, with no steel or cement used at all, ensuring
that the monument will last for a thousand years. It is
108 feet (32.92 m) tall, 240 feet (73.15 m) long and 131
feet(39.93 m) wide. |
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Akshardham is an architectural marvel of
this century, oozing with awe-inspiring auspiciousness
and amazing craftsmanship. More than 12 million man-hours
of 900 skilled craftsmen have created this magnificent
monument of 93 sculpted pillars, 40 windows carved from
both sides, and a feast of forms and filigrees
At the centre of the spacious Akshardham complex, a delicate
and beautiful architectural masterpiece, the Akshardham
Monument, which enshrines the golden idol of Swaminarayan,
the founder of the Swaminarayan Faith.
The first floor galleries house a museum portraying
the 500 'parahansas', and several things belonging to
Swaminarayan such as his letter to guru, Ramanand, a
piece from an old tree from Chapaya, his pure wool shawl,
a replica of his old home and other displays. The galleries
outside have a state of the art exhibition using audio-visuals,
multi-media, dioramas of the life of Swaminarayan and
from Hindu epics to introduce visitors to the concept
of the Akshardham movement, founded in 1907 AD to promote
the preachings of Swaminarayan.
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