USA·Akshardham Mahamandir Temple
The second largest Hindu temple in the world - Akshardham Mahamandir Temple (Akshardham Mahamandir) has been completed in the Robbinsville community in central New Jersey, USA, with different themed activities every day.
I arrived at the temple when it was getting dark, the weather was freezing, and my hands were almost frozen when I took out my phone to take pictures🥶🥶🥶🥶
From the outside, this Hindu temple is truly magnificent, and unlike ordinary buildings, because there are many carved details, it looks somewhat complicated, quite a feeling of not belonging to the world, of course, this is also what the designers and builders pursue.
This second largest in the world and the largest in the United States Hindu temple, covers an area of 87975 square feet (about 0.82 hectares), the highest point can reach 191 feet (about 58.2 meters).
🕙Opening hours: 7 am to 7:30 pm
The main body of the temple is made of marble, granite and limestone, which come from all over Europe, then transported to India. After complex carving by local craftsmen in India, they are transported to the United States, which is quite complicated. Then, volunteers from all over the world, under the guidance of craftsmen, assemble it. The entire temple took 12 years from design to completion, with 12,500 participants, which is really a major project. The volunteers who participated in the construction project are all believers of BAPS. BAPS is an abbreviation for a sect in Hinduism, established in 1905. On the main building of the temple, there are a total of 10,000 statues and 151 carvings depicting ancient Indian musical instruments. From the detail photos, the statues are indeed exquisite, even the expressions of the gods are lifelike.
The largest Hindu temple in the world is in New Delhi, but the construction time is much shorter than this temple, only 5 years, and the manpower consumed is relatively less, with 8,000 volunteers participating. The temple houses a giant statue of the respected Hindu spiritual leader Bhagwan Swaminarayan of the 19th century.
"Having the second largest temple in the world on American soil: Akshardham Mahamandir Temple, is not only a victory for a community or immigrants, but also a victory for all of India," The temple still has some buildings not completed, only a part has been opened and has cost: 96 million US dollars.
Currently free to visit. No photography is allowed on the second floor of the main temple. Shoes must be removed to enter the second floor of the temple, and there is a special place to store shoes. The entire second floor of the temple is made of white granite carvings, with intricate and beautiful carvings of figures and mythical beasts, which are stunning and breathtaking. The entire building is carved everywhere, you have entered a world of exquisite carving art. It's a pity that there are cameras everywhere and no photography is allowed.
🐘BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Robbinsville
📍Address: 112 N Main St, Windsor, NJ 08561
⏰Business hours: 9:00-19:30 Free admission