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Swaminarayan Akshardham (New Jersey)

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BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is a Hindu mandir (temple) built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in Robbinsville, New Jersey, within Mercer County, in central New Jersey. It is the largest Hindu mandir in the United States and the second-largest in the world, the largest outside of Asia, and the largest Hindu mandir built in modern times,[1] rising 213 ft (65 m) above ground.[2] The mandir has a total of 13 shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities. The central shrine is dedicated to Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami, worshiped together as Akshar Purushottam Maharaj.

Swaminarayan Akshardham
Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DeitySwaminarayan,
Radha Krishna, Venkateshwara-Padmavathi,
Sita-Rama Lakshman Hanuman,
Shiva-Parvati Kartikeya Ganesha
Location
LocationRobbinsville, Mercer County, New Jersey, U.S.
Geographic coordinates40°15′15″N 74°34′40″W / 40.25417°N 74.57778°W / 40.25417; -74.57778
Architecture
Type
Creator
InscriptionsSpiritual-Cultural Complex
Website
usa.akshardham.org

The 183-acre (74 ha) Akshardham campus contains the main Akshardham mandir, a smaller traditional shikharbaddha mandir, Nilkanth Plaza, a welcome center, a vegetarian cafe, the BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute, a museum, and an event center.[3] The Akshardham was inspired by BAPS's fifth spiritual leader, Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The land was purchased in 2008, and construction of Akshardham mandir began in 2015.

On October 8, 2023, Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual head of BAPS, performed the consecration ceremony and formally inaugurated the mandir.[4][5] Several months after the Akshardham mandir opening, a registration process was implemented to facilitate an improved visitor experience. On weekends, national holidays, and selected Indian holidays, free advanced registration is required.[6] This Robbinsville temple is one of world's three Akshardham mandirs constructed by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha; the other two are in New Delhi and Gandhinagar.[7][8]

In May 2021, a lawsuit was filed against BAPS by several artisans from India, who were involved in the construction alleging that the temple administrators violated labor laws. The lawsuit alleged that over 200 Indian men, mostly of the Dalit caste, were brought from India to the US and were subject to wage theft, forced labor, and human trafficking.[9][10][11][12][13] BAPS Spokesperson denied these allegations stating that artisans had come to the US as religious volunteers as part of their devotion, not as employees. By July 2023, 12 of the plaintiffs had withdrawn from the lawsuit citing religious conviction. The lawsuit is on-hold, pending a federal investigation.[14][15][16][17][18]

Deities

 
Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami

The mandir has 13 shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities.[19][2] The central shrine (garbhagriha) is dedicated to Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami, worshipped together as Akshar Purushottam Maharaj. The sacred image of Swaminarayan is 15.5 ft (4.7 m) tall and is crafted from panchdhatu (an alloy of five metals - gold, silver, copper, zinc, and iron). Its sinhasan (throne) is adorned with intricate designs, including two swans and elephants.

The other 12 shrines display the sacred images of Hindu deities including Radha-Krishna, Venkateshwara-Padmavati, Sita-Rama, Lakshman, Hanuman, Shiva-Parvati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya, as well as Swaminarayan's spiritual successors.[20][21]

In four of the shrines, sacred images are installed depicting important events from Swaminarayan's life.[22] These include, sacred images of Ghanshyam (Swaminaryan’s child form) with his parents and friends, Nilkanth Varni (Swaminarayan’s teenage form) engaged in austerity in the Himalayas, Sahajanand Swami (Swaminarayan as leader) requesting a boon from Ramanand Swami, and Swaminarayan applying a tilak to Gunatitanand Swami, symbolizing him as his spiritual successor.[22]

Akshardham campus

Nilkanth Plaza

 
Nilkanth Plaza

The entrance to the Akshardham campus begins with the Nilkanth Plaza which has a 49 ft (15 m) tall bronze sacred image, or murti, of Nilkanth Varni, the teenage form of Swaminarayan.[3][23] The height commemorates Swaminarayan's 49 years on Earth.[3] Nilkanth Varni began a spiritual journey across India at the age of eleven, which lasted seven years and covered 8,000 miles (12,000 km).  During his travels in the Himalayas, he attained proficiency in yoga, and he practiced rigorous austerities for six months, standing on one leg in a yogic stance. Swaminarayan is thus depicted as Nilkanth Varni in a yogic posture, practicing self-discipline and devotion. The area also includes ten pink stone shrines, a map illustrating Nilkanth's seven-year journey, and fourteen stone tablets that highlight aspects of his personality and teachings of faith, service, forgiveness, and compassion.[24][25][26]

Brahma Kund

 
Brahma Kund

The campus has a traditional Indian stepwell, called the Brahma Kund, which contains sanctified water from over 300 sources[27] including 108 holy rivers in India and rivers that flow across the United States.[23] The four sides of the pond contain the murtis of Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, and Sarayu. There are 48 pink stone shikhars and 24 shrines surrounding the Brahma Kund.[28]

Akshardham mandir

The Akshardham mandir was designed in accordance with ancient Hindu scriptures and features elements from Hindu heritage.[19][2] The mandir is 191 ft (58 m) in height, 255 ft (78 m) in length, and 345 ft (105 m) in width. The central shikhar (spire) is 213 ft (65 m) above ground.[2] Atop the central shikhar is a 12 ft (3.7 m) high kalash.[29] It is the largest Hindu mandir in the United States and the second largest Hindu mandir in the world.[2][30] It was constructed from different types of stone including marble from Greece, Turkey, and Italy; pink sandstone from Rajasthan; granite from India; and limestone from Bulgaria and Turkey.[19][30]

The foundational base, or the jagati, is made of a 13-tiered structure of limestone and is also referred to as the Wisdom Plinth because it conveys messages of wisdom from ancient Indian scriptures, scholars, and other world luminaries.[31][32][30] It is 20 ft (6.1 m) high.[22] Above the foundational base plinth is the main outer wall of the mandir, called the mandovar.[31] It is 23 ft (7.0 m) high and 1,120 ft (340 m) long and made of Bulgarian and Turkish limestone.[33] The mandovar includes carvings of poets, philosophers, and sages.[31] It also has 151 statues holding different musical instruments that originated in India.[33]

 
Interior of the elliptical dome in Akshardham

The Akshardham has nine shikhars and nine samarans (pyramidal domes) atop of the mandir.[3][31] Symbolically, they are a visual metaphor for reaching spiritual enlightenment. A 120 ft (37 m) mahashikhar made up of 35 layers represents the pursuit of a higher truth and connecting with a higher being.[22] The Akshardham mandir has the largest constructed elliptical dome of a traditional stone mandir.[2] There are four main domes within the mandir called Parabrahma, Aksharbrahma, Mukta and Aishwarya Mandapam. The Parabrahma Mandapam houses the sanctum sanctorum or garbhagriha dedicated to Swaminarayan and it is 65 ft (20 m) tall and 36 ft (11 m) wide.[33] The Aksharbrahma Mandapam honors Swaminarayan's first spiritual successor Gunatitanand Swami. The mandapam has his life stories carved out on pillars and also includes different symbols and motifs that depict his various qualities.[33] The Mukta Mandapam honors followers of the faith, called muktas or liberated souls, that excelled on the spiritual path. The pillars in this mandapam have 48 statues of muktas carved out of marble, engaged in worship and service of God.[33] The Aishwarya Mandapam honors various divinities in Hinduism[31] as well as acharyas, kings, saints and renowned poets. Individuals include Shabari, Vidura, Veda Vyas, Tulsidas, Shankaracharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bhagiratha and Mirabai.[33]

It also houses more than 10,000 statues, statuettes, and carved motifs of Indian music and dance forms.[33] Carvings of all 108 Bharatanatyam poses, an ancient Hindu dance form, are depicted throughout the mandir for the first time in one structure.[3] There are 548 intricately carved marble pillars, or stambhas, in the Akshardham mandir and 200 are on the main floor. Some of the pillars are dedicated to sacred scriptures found in Hinduism such as the Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana and the pillars include carvings of different stories from those scriptures.[33]

Two rectangular ponds in front of the mandir include four statues representing the four Vedas.[34] The mandir is surrounded by a 2,485 ft (757 m) long colonnade, or parikrama, made from red sandstone.[34] It is 42 ft (13 m) high and 15 ft (4.6 m) wide. Its shape represents a garland and symbolizes reverence for the mandir.[22]

During its construction, BAPS also incorporated sustainable practices by utilizing a fly ash concrete mix, planting over two million trees worldwide over several decades, and building a six acre solar farm that supplies electricity to the Akshardham campus.[31][30] Different types of stone have been used throughout the campus for different purposes. Limestone is durable and naturally water and weather resistant. Bulgarian and Turkish limestone have been used for the exterior, which includes shikhars, samarans, mandovar and the jagati. Sandstone has been widely used in traditional Hindu temple architecture across India for its durability and suitability for intricate carvings. For this reason, red-hued sandstone from Bansi Paharpur in Rajasthan, India is used for the parikrama.[35] Due to granite's durability, hardiness and diverse range of colors it has been used throughout the campus' walking paths such as Nilkanth Plaza, parikrama, and jagati. It is also used in the basement of the Akshardham mandir to protect it from weather.[35]

Stones quarried from Europe were shipped to India and carved in Pindwara, Rajasthan. The carved stones and pillars were then assembled through a process called dry setting, where mortar and cement is not used, to determine how the structure would look before final placement in Robbinsville. After which, each carved structure was disassembled, coded and sent for shipment to Robbinsville, traveling 12,500 mi (20,100 km). In Robbinsville, the stones were reassembled into the Akshardham mandir by trained volunteers.[35]

Shikarbaddha mandir

Further information: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Robbinsville

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Robbinsville is located on the Akshardham campus. The mandir was built in the Nagaradi style using 68,000 cubic feet (1,900 m3) of Italian Carrara marble. The structure is 87 feet (27 m) wide, 133 feet (41 m) long, and 42 feet (13 m) high.[36] The mandir was officially opened to the public on August 10, 2014, after the murtis were consecrated in the presence of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.[37]

Welcome Center

The Welcome Center is designed according to Indian Haveli-style architecture to welcome guests in a traditional manner.[38] It is made from hand-carved Burmese Teak wood. There are 2,700 lanterns inside the welcome center to commemorate Diwali, the Hindu festival of light.[34] It also includes Indian design motifs on the walls.[38][3] Three orientation theaters play a short video on Hinduism and Swaminarayan Akshardham.[39] The Welcome Center connects to a vegetarian cafe called Shayona Cafe. The Shayona Cafe serves items prepared according to the core Hindu spiritual principles of ahimsa (non-violence) and a sattvik diet, with the aim of promoting physical, mental, and spiritual wellness.[35]

BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute

On June 18, 2022, the BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute was inaugurated by Mahamahopadhyaya Pujya Bhadreshdas Swami, author of the Sanskrit commentarial and philosophical texts, the Swaminarayan Bhashyam and the Swaminarayan Siddhanta Sudda, in the presence of representatives from over 50 Hindu mandirs and organizations. Bhadreshdas Swami delivered the inaugural speech which encouraged the community to explore Hindu philosophy and the arts, and spoke about Mahant Swami Maharaj's messages, that Hindu scholarship would foster global harmony, public service, and educational excellence.[40][41]

History

 
Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Mahant Swami Maharaj performing Bhumital rituals (ground breaking ceremony).

The Akshardham campus was inspired by BAPS' fifth spiritual leader, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, in 1984.[3][42] His vision was to create a place of worship in North America for followers that could also enable visitors of different backgrounds to experience Hindu spirituality, architecture, and peace.[32] The land was purchased in 2008.[31][43] On October 6, 2011, Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed the rituals sanctifying the foundation stones (shilanyas pujan) in Mumbai.[44]

On 15 August 2014, during his final visit to the United States, following the inauguration of  the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan mandir in Robbinsville, (the shikharbaddha mandir on the Akshardham campus), Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed the groundbreaking rituals to the areas where the deities would be installed in the Akshardham mandir.[45] Construction of the Akshardham mandir began in 2015.[31] The first marble pillar installation ceremony took place on September 4, 2017, in the presence of Mahant Swami Maharaj, the sixth spiritual leader of BAPS.[46]

In the summer of 2020, the mandovar (the main outer wall of the mandir) was completed. The keystones of each of the four domes, which locks a dome in place, were installed on June 14, 2022. The base of the outer wall, or the jagati peeth, was completed in July 2022. On May 31, 2023, the final stone of the Akshardham mandir was installed.[47]

About 75% of the Akshardham campus is designed, constructed, managed, and maintained by swamis and volunteers.[31] Between 2011 and 2023, over 12,500 people volunteered to build the mandir.[48][49][50] Volunteers carved and installed about 2,000,000 cubic feet (57,000 m3) of stone.[51] The volunteers came from various backgrounds which included students, business executives, physicians, and architects.[32] Volunteers who did not have prior stone mandir construction experience received training on mandir architecture and construction by experts.[31]

 
Mahant Swami Maharaj performing Hindu rituals on the pillar of Akshardham

In May 2021, a lawsuit was filed against BAPS by several volunteer artisans from India[3] who were involved in the construction alleging that the temple administrators violated labor laws.[52] In relation to this, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Labor, and Department of Homeland Security visited the site on "court-authorized law enforcement activity."[52][53] The lawsuit alleges that over 200 Indian men, mostly of the Dalit caste, were brought from India to the US and were subject to wage theft, forced labor, and human trafficking.[54][52]

BAPS Spokespersons rejected the allegations listed in the lawsuit as false stating that the artisans had come to the US as religious volunteers to offer seva, or religious service, as part of their devotion.[55] They further stated that federal, state, and local government agencies had been regularly inspecting and approving the various mandir projects where artisans in this program have volunteered over the last 20 years.[55]

As of July 2023, 12 of the plaintiffs have withdrawn from the lawsuit,[56] stating that they were coerced into making false charges against BAPS by a US based lawyer named Swati Sawant with threats of imprisonment, promises of US citizenship and large sums of money for them and their families.[57][55][58][59] The dozen withdrawn plaintiffs stated that they have been offering service at BAPS temples in the US and India for many years and had "never experienced any pressure, any casteism or discrimination".[59] The lawsuit is on-hold, pending an investigation.[3] Some news outlets characterized the trial as raising questions about the ability of US labor laws to account for certain forms of religious volunteerism.[56][3]

Inauguration

 
On October 4, 2023, Mahant Swami Maharaj and world religious leaders convened at Akshardham.

From July 2023, BAPS hosted a three-month-long celebration called the "Festival of Inspirations" leading up to its inauguration.[60] During the celebrations, BAPS launched various community programs, including a 10-week-long blood drive and the Days of Giving campaign. The 10-week blood drive had over 4,470 donors and was recognized as one of the longest-running blood drives in the state.[20][61] The Days of Giving initiative donated over 12,000 school supplies, hygiene essentials, and food items to the local community.[21] A "My Country, My Duty" program celebrated police and law enforcement throughout the country.[62] The inaugural celebration also included a three-month-long Vedic Mahayagna to invoke peace around the world through ancient rituals.[20]

 
Mahant Swami Maharaj performing the pran-pratishtha rituals.

Akshardham Mahotsav

The inaugural ceremony, called the Akshardham Mahotsav, was split over nine days (September 20 - October 8, 2023). Each day celebrated aspects of the mandir or the values it represents. Daily themes included celebrating Indian culture, non-violence, women's contributions to society, interfaith harmony, and community day. On October 5, 2023, Robbinsville Mayor, David Fried, joined the community unity day program and said, "Every time I reached out to BAPS, they never failed to answer the call, and for that, I'm incredibly grateful." During the program, Fried and Mayor John Higdom from Matthews, North Carolina, both offered the "Key to the City" to Mahant Swami Maharaj.[20]

On October 8, 2023, Mahant Swami Maharaj performed the consecration ceremony[63] and formally inaugurated the mandir.[64][65] The inauguration was joined by Delaware Governor John Carney and Congressman Steny Hoyer.[65] Carney said, "I was struck by what Swami said that the temple is a bridge, a bridge from the past to the future; a bridge from one community to the next. It is an incredible place of devotion."[66] Additionally, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended wishes for the inauguration of the mandir.[7] Sunak stated, "We were amazed and awed by the beauty of this temple and its universal message of peace, harmony, and becoming a better human being. This is not only a place of worship, but a landmark that also portrays India's values, culture, and contributions to the world.[7][48]

  •  
    Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami (collectively known as Aksharpurshottam)
  •  
    Swaminarayan as Nilkanth Varni
  •  
    Swaminarayan as Sahajanand Swami
  •  
    Swaminarayan as Ghanshyam (Child form)
  •  
    Krishna and Radha
  •  
    Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman
  •  
    Shankara, Parvati, Kartikeya, and Ganesha
  •  
    Venkateshwara and Padmavati
  •  
    Bhagatji Maharaj
  •  
    Shastriji Maharaj
  •  
    Yogiji Maharaj
  •  
    Pramukh Swami Maharaj
  •  
    Exterior carvings
  •  
    Interior carvings
  •  
    UN visitors in Akshardham
  •  
    Visitors inside Akshardham viewing the intricate interior carvings
  •  
    Lights during inauguration of Akshardham
  •  
    Mahant Swami Maharaj inaugurating the Akshardham
  •  
    Akshardham's side angular view
  •  
    Fireworks during the inauguration ceremony

See also

References

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  62. ^ Alexander, Dan (2023-10-06). "SEE INSIDE: Hindu temple, the world's largest, opens in NJ after toil by thousands". New Jersey 101.5. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  63. ^ PTI. "Largest Hindu temple in the US inaugurated in New Jersey". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  64. ^ "The largest Hindu temple in US - BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham at Robbinsville, all set to be inaugurated". The Indian EYE. 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  65. ^ a b Excelsior, Daily (2023-10-12). "Akshardham Temple, billed to be second-largest in world, inaugurated in US | DailyExcelsior". Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  66. ^ "US Akshardham temple opens for devotees". The Times of India. 2023-10-10. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
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