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NEW DELHI: Opening celebration ceremonies were held this week for the world’s largest modern Hindu temple outside India, which is being inaugurated in New Jersey.
Thousands of worshippers thronged the stunning new 191-feet tall temple, called the Akshardham Mahamandir, in Robbinsville, New Jersey.
It took a combined total of about 4.7 million hours of work by artisans and volunteers to hand-carve the about 2 million cubic feet of stone.
According to a report in The New York post, volunteers from the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham North America, the Hindu complex where the temple is located, are hosting the inaugural events.
The festivities will conclude on Sunday with a grand dedication ceremony organized by BAPS Spiritual Leader and Guru Mahant Swami Maharaj.
Here’s all you need to know about the temple:
* The temple has been built by an army of more than 12,500 volunteers from across the US in over 12 years from 2011 to 2023.
* The Akshardham temple measures 255 ft x 345 ft x 191 ft and spans over 183 acres.
* The four varieties of marble from Italy and limestone from Bulgaria traveled first to India and then over 8,000 miles across the world to New Jersey.
* The temple has been designed according to ancient Hindu scriptures and includes design elements from ancient Indian culture, including 10,000 statues and statuettes, carvings of Indian musical instruments and dance forms.
* The temple is possibly the second largest after the iconic Angkor Wat in Cambodia, PTI reported.
* The unique temple design also includes one main shrine, 12 sub-shrines, nine shikhars (spire-like structures), and nine pyramidal shikhars.
* Akshardham also houses the largest elliptical dome of traditional stone architecture ever constructed. It is designed to last a thousand years.
* The Brahma Kund, a traditional Indian stepwell, contains water from over 300 bodies of water from around the world, including the holy rivers of India and all 50 states of the US.
* Volunteers from across the US helped with the assembly of Akshardham. They were guided by artisan volunteers from India. Millions of volunteer hours have been dedicated to the making of Akshardham.
* This temple will be the third Akshardham or “abode of the divine” the organization has built after two others in New Delhi and Gujarat, where BAPS is headquartered. The former is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. The sect, which will celebrate its 50th year in North America next year, oversees more than 1,200 temples and 3,850 centers around the world.
* The largest temple complex in the world is the Ankgor Wat, originally constructed in the 12th century in Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia, and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu by King Suryavarman II. It is now described as a Hindu-Buddhist temple, and is one of 1,199 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
(With inputs from agencies)
Thousands of worshippers thronged the stunning new 191-feet tall temple, called the Akshardham Mahamandir, in Robbinsville, New Jersey.
It took a combined total of about 4.7 million hours of work by artisans and volunteers to hand-carve the about 2 million cubic feet of stone.
According to a report in The New York post, volunteers from the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham North America, the Hindu complex where the temple is located, are hosting the inaugural events.
The festivities will conclude on Sunday with a grand dedication ceremony organized by BAPS Spiritual Leader and Guru Mahant Swami Maharaj.
Here’s all you need to know about the temple:
* The temple has been built by an army of more than 12,500 volunteers from across the US in over 12 years from 2011 to 2023.
* The Akshardham temple measures 255 ft x 345 ft x 191 ft and spans over 183 acres.
* The four varieties of marble from Italy and limestone from Bulgaria traveled first to India and then over 8,000 miles across the world to New Jersey.
* The temple has been designed according to ancient Hindu scriptures and includes design elements from ancient Indian culture, including 10,000 statues and statuettes, carvings of Indian musical instruments and dance forms.
* The temple is possibly the second largest after the iconic Angkor Wat in Cambodia, PTI reported.
* The unique temple design also includes one main shrine, 12 sub-shrines, nine shikhars (spire-like structures), and nine pyramidal shikhars.
* Akshardham also houses the largest elliptical dome of traditional stone architecture ever constructed. It is designed to last a thousand years.
* The Brahma Kund, a traditional Indian stepwell, contains water from over 300 bodies of water from around the world, including the holy rivers of India and all 50 states of the US.
* Volunteers from across the US helped with the assembly of Akshardham. They were guided by artisan volunteers from India. Millions of volunteer hours have been dedicated to the making of Akshardham.
* This temple will be the third Akshardham or “abode of the divine” the organization has built after two others in New Delhi and Gujarat, where BAPS is headquartered. The former is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. The sect, which will celebrate its 50th year in North America next year, oversees more than 1,200 temples and 3,850 centers around the world.
* The largest temple complex in the world is the Ankgor Wat, originally constructed in the 12th century in Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia, and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu by King Suryavarman II. It is now described as a Hindu-Buddhist temple, and is one of 1,199 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
(With inputs from agencies)
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