The temple is said to be the largest Hindu temple outside India in the modern era.
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, the largest Hindu temple in the US, opened its doors on Sunday, October 8, in New Jersey. The temple, in the Robbinsville city of New Jersey, is said to be the largest Hindu temple outside India in the modern era.
“It is an occasion of profound spiritual significance for the vast legion of devotees worldwide,” PM Narendra Modi wrote in a letter to BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham. The temple will be open to the public from October 18.
Craftsmanship
The temple is crafted from four distinct varieties of marble sourced from Italy and limestone from Bulgaria. These precious materials embarked on an extraordinary journey, travelling from their origins to India and then crossing over 8,000 miles worldwide to reach their final destination in New Jersey, reported news agency Associated Press. Once on site, these intricately carved pieces were assembled like a colossal jigsaw puzzle, culminating in the creation of this monumental Hindu temple.
This incredible architectural masterpiece sprawls across a vast 126-acre area, a creation made possible by the relentless dedication of artisans and volunteers who invested approximately 4.7 million hours to meticulously hand-carve around two million cubic feet of stone, the report added.
Adorning the temple walls are carvings of historical figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, as mentioned by Yogi Trivedi, a temple volunteer and a scholar of religion at Columbia University, stated NBC News.
“I wake up every morning and scratch my eyes thinking, ‘Am I still in central New Jersey?'” said Mr Trivedi. “It's like being transported to another world, specifically to India.”
Construction
The Akshardham temple, built by 12,500 volunteers from all over the world, began its construction in 2011, reported PTI.