The most important Hindu temple within the U.S. opened its doorways in New Jersey to devotees on Sunday. The Akshardham Temple is billed to be the second largest temple on the earth and the most important within the western hemisphere. Unfold over a sprawling 185 acres, the Akshardham Temple in Robbinsville Metropolis of New Jersey about 99 kilometres south of New York Metropolis stands at 191 toes excessive. The temple was inaugurated on October 8 within the presence of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) chief Mahant Swami Maharaj, with a number of thousand individuals attending the occasion.
“It was Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s divine want to assemble an Akshardham in North America, the place individuals can come and go to, regardless of race, creed or faith,” mentioned Mahant Swami Maharaj.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Delaware Governor John Carney and Congressman Steny Hoyer.
“It’s the second largest ever Hindu temple on this globe planet and naturally, the most important within the Western hemisphere, which was inaugurated on October eighth, on the ninetieth birthday celebrations of Mahant Swami Maharaj. It was devoted to this society, to humanity,” Gnanvatsaldas Swami, senior BAPS chief and motivational speaker, advised PTI.
He mentioned that the fundamental objective of making temples is to “encourage individuals with values”.
“So, it is a monument devoted to Indian tradition and custom. It is a monument devoted to Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life and teachings,” he mentioned.
The temple has the story of Ramayana, Mahabharat carved on its stones. It has greater than 150 Indian musical devices and all the most important dance postures on its pillars and wall.
Stones from seven totally different nations, together with Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Turkey, India, have been used within the temple building.
Yogi Trivedi, a scholar of faith and media at Columbia College mentioned that each one the stones characterize totally different cultural streams and that they’ve come collectively. These stones have been shipped to India, intricately carved, then dry assembled to ensure that it is going to match the temple.
As one walks within the Akshardham, the Brahmakund or the step wall on the entrance has the water from 400 totally different rivers and lakes from world wide: Africa, Australia, the US. It has water from Ganga and Yamuna in India, and Mississippi and East River and Lake Michigan from the US.
This isn’t only a Hindu story or a Hindu American story, it’s an Americanand a worldwide story, Trivedi mentioned.