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The BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is a 183-acre Hindu temple complex in Robbinsville, New Jersey. It has the Akshardham temple, a conventional temple, a welcome center, a museum, and event facilities. The Akshardham temple was dedicated on October 8, 2023, and it became the largest Hindu temple in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest Hindu temple globally, after the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir opened its doors in 2014. Situated 99 kilometers south of New York City, this temple boasts a height of 191 feet.
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, BAPS
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu house of worship dedicated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, is situated in Robbinsville, Central New Jersey. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha constructed it. A branch of Hinduism known as the Swaminarayan branch is headed by Mahant Swami Maharaj and is known as the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. Indian pink stone, limestone, and hand-carved Italian Carrara marble are used to build the mandir. The ancient Vedas and other Hindu texts served as the construction manual for the mandir. The mandir is accessible for worship (darshan) and guests every day. There is a congregation hall in the complex in addition to the mandir.
Temple and daily customs
Built in accordance with the guidelines provided in the Hindu writings known as the Shilpa Shastras, which establish criteria for sacred construction, the mandir is a shikarbaddha mandir. The deities’ sacred images, known as murtis, have been sanctified within the mandir. The murtis of Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami , who are collectively revered as Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj, are kept at the central shrine. Other murtis, such as those of Radha and Krishna, Shiva and Parvati, Sita and Ram, Hanuman, Ganapati, and the BAPS gurus, who are Swaminarayan’s spiritual heirs, are also housed at various shrines.
Hindus believe that a murti becomes a manifestation of the divine once the divine is summoned within it. As a result, Swaminarayan swamis, or monks, worship the gods throughout the day in a devotional manner. They wake the gods before dawn by chanting morning hymns, or prabhatiya. After that, depending on the time of day and season, the deities are bathed and given food and clothing. Prasadam, or food offered to the gods, is given to the worshippers after being sanctified. Five times a day, devotees execute the ceremony known as aarti, which is titled mangala aarti, shanagar aarti, rajabhoga aarti, sandhya aarti, and shayana aarti. During this process, they sing the glory of God while a lighted wick is cycled before the murtis.
Construction
The construction of the BAPS shri swaminarayan mandir in New Jersey began in 2010. It was first conceptualized and planned in 1997 as part of swaminarayan akshardham’s North American outreach. The mandir was constructed in the “Nagaradi” style with 68,000 square feet of Italian marble, sourced from quarries across Europe. The marble was shipped to the “Rajasthan” in India, where hundreds of craftsmen carved the stone. Once the finished pieces were assembled in the workshops, engineers numbered them one by one and shipped them back to New Jersey. When the pieces arrived, they were organized using a numbering system to aid in the construction of the mandir.
An enclosure, or mandap, was constructed around the temple to protect it from inclement weather and allow it to be used year-round. The mandap measures 87 feet wide by 133 feet long by 42 feet high. The entrance to the Mayur Dwar is adorned with carvings of peacocks, elephants and Hindu deities from ancient times.
An estimated 4.7 million human hours were contributed by volunteers and artisans to the construction of the mandir. Throughout the building process, volunteers worked on a variety of projects, such as engineering and design, coordinating the carving and shipping of stones, setting up the site, installing lighting and electrical wiring, polishing and cleaning the assembled marble, erecting tents, preparing meals, and providing medical assistance.
Commencing
On August 10, 2014, the mandir was formally opened to the public after the murtis were blessed in front of Pramukh Swami Maharaj and senior BAPS swamis. During the opening ceremony, a number of dignitaries attended, including Indian Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer, Pennsylvania Representative Mike Fitzpatrick, New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, and New Jersey Attorney General John Jay Hoffman. As part of a three-day celebration, the opening included a women’s cultural program centered on interfaith harmony and a grand yagna in which participants prayed for world peace. The various events drew in over 20,000 visitors. In June 2022, a large-scale Shayona Cafe with fine South and North Indian food opened.
Initiatives for charities
At the Robbinsville temple, BAPS Charities has been holding charitable functions since 2012. These have included health fairs and lectures given by volunteer medical professionals. Annual walk-a-thon donations have benefited humanitarian causes, such as the planting of 300,000 trees in support of the Nature Conservancy’s goal to plant one billion trees by the year 2025.
BAPS Charities has helped people all over the world with relief and assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to raise awareness for everyone impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, all six BAPS shikharbaddha mandirs in North America aired a special mahapuja led by the swamis on March 29, 2020. Participating families in North America numbered over 12,000.
Five thousand N95 face masks were donated within a month of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to hospitals around New Jersey, including Capital Health Hospitals, Penn Medicine at Princeton Medical Center, Robbinsville Township, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton and New Brunswick. First responders from New York and New Jersey, such as the Robbinsville Township Police Department, Fire Department, and Saint Francis Medical Center, received over 4,000 hot meals. Seniors in New Jersey received care packages from BAPS Charities. To gather non-perishable food items for NJ Rise and the Robbinsville Township Food Pantry, a food drive was also held.
At the mandir on April 30, 2021, BAPS Charities and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital organized a vaccination drive. BAPS Charities was commended by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy for holding immunization clinics at mandirs, which improved accessibility for the elderly.
What to See in Akshardham
Nilkantha Plaza
A ROOM FOR THOUGHT
A 49-foot statue of the young yogi Bhagwan Swaminarayan stands at the entrance to the campus. During his teenage years, he went by the name Nilkanth Varni and founded the Swaminarayan Hindu tradition. His serene and undisturbed pose, while in a deep state of yogic prayer, represents spiritual discipline and focus, mirroring his journey in which he encouraged empathy, compassion, and service in everyone. His late 18th-century reforms, which addressed the mistreatment of women, small children, and lower castes, left a lasting legacy.
Brahma Kund
AN ORDINARY STEP-POND
Savor the tranquility of a classic Indian stepped pond, supplied with water from the 108 sacred rivers of India and the fifty states of the United States. Here, we honor the planet’s priceless waters and pay tribute to the elixir that sustains life. In the same way that rivers are revered throughout our civilization for their capacity to nourish and cleanse, this step-well invites you to stop, think, and go on a self-discovery journey.
Welcome Center
A COMFORTABLE & HOSPITALITY SPACE
Hindu customs hold that the art of greeting guests is a sacred practice that goes beyond simple hospitality. “Atithi devo bhava,” as old sacred texts declare, requires a host to recognize the divine in each and every visitor. People from different communities—regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or cultural background—are welcomed and given an introduction to the core values of Swaminarayan Akshardham and Hinduism within the welcoming and inclusive hallways.
Traditional Hindu Mandir
A CAPITAL OF SOLENCE
The essence of peace can be found in the mandir, a Hindu place of worship, where the soul finds inner peace and the mind finds stillness. Worshippers congregate in this finely carved stone mandir to ask the sacred images, known as murtis, for blessings. You will have the chance to investigate your relationship with the Divine and broaden your understanding of who you are.
Café Shayona
A BLEND OF TEASONS AND HOPE
Savor a delicious assortment of vegetarian Indian and Western dishes at Shayona Café. Here, culinary creativity and spiritual principles come together to create a menu that appeals to the senses while also encapsulating the essential concepts of non-violence. Every meal is prepared mindfully with the intention of nourishing the body, mind, and spirit. Food is offered to the Divine before being served, turning it into prasād, or blessed food. Shayona Café offers a chance to enjoy a variety of dishes, indulge in a fusion of flavors, and satisfy your palate and spirit.
Hindu Learning Center:
APPROXIMATELY
The Hindu Learning Center will present the rich cultural legacy of the Hindu faith, its spiritual past, and its central tenet of unity in diversity.
Akshardham Mahamandir
LUXURY CENTERPIECE
The Akshardham Mahamandir stands in the middle of the campus. Whatever one’s background or beliefs, Akshardham will encourage people to establish connections with the Divine and with one another. The fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj, had the vision of creating a magnificent spiritual campus in the United States that would bring together a millennium of inspiring Hindu art, architecture, and culture.
About BAPS
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is a spiritual, volunteer-run organization committed to promoting the Hindu ideals of faith, service, and world peace while also enhancing society via personal development.
The Hindu socio-spiritual religion known as Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) has its origins in the Vedas. Late in the 18th century, Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781–1830) revealed it, and Shastriji Maharaj (1865–1951) established it in 1907. The BAPS was established on the tenets of practical spirituality and extends its reach globally to tackle the moral, social, and spiritual problems that confront our society. Its purity of purpose and nature is its strength. BAPS works to care for people, families, and societies in order to care for the world. Its global outreach through more than 3,850 centers across the globe has earned it numerous national and international honors, as well as UN affiliation. More than a million Swaminarayan devotees now start their days with puja and meditation, live morally pure lives, and regularly volunteer their time to help others. Their five lifetime vows are: no meat, no alcohol, no addictions, no adultery, and no impurity of body or mind. BAPS’s humanitarian services are based on a foundation of pure morality and spirituality.
