Friday, April 4, 2025,
A day trip to Robbinsville, NJ to visit the
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, along with Carole and Mel. BAPS stands for Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a Hindu socio-spiritual organization that follows the teachings of Lord Swaminarayan.
 |
Nilkanth Plaza is named for Nilkanth Varni, the founder
of the Swaminarayan Hindu tradition; his reforms in
the early 19th century addressed the oppression of
women, young children, and marginalized castes |
 |
In the background is the Akshardham (meaning
the eternal abode or divine home of God) |
 |
At age 11, Nilkanth began a pilgrimage to the holy sites of
India, alone and barefoot, traveling 8,000 miles from 1792-1799 |
 |
A statue of the youthful Nilkanth, when he
performed this yogic pose for two-and-
a-half months to purify body and mind |
 |
A symbolic river lined with the names
of the 108 holy rivers in India |
 |
South end of Brahm Kund, a traditional stepped pond
that is said to contain water from the 108 holy rivers
of India as well as from each of the 50 states |
 |
| North end of Brahm Kund with a view of the Welcome Center |
 |
| Brahm Kund with a view of the Hindu Mandir/place of worship |
 |
| A relief to show the shape of Brahm Kund from above |
 |
| Tulips indicate spring is here |
 |
Toran Gate represents a garland of flowers being
offered to the visitor in welcome |
 |
Already the detail of the hand-carved
sandstone is impressive |
 |
| Inside the Welcome Center |
 |
Carved Burmese teak wood and rows of
[LED] lanterns (totaling 2,700!) |
 |
| One of many mosaic-like lighted panels |
We took a guided tour augmented by an audio receiver and earpiece to be sure to hear the guide.
 |
A Hindu Mandir/"place where the mind becomes still"
(2010-2014) |
No photographs were allowed in the Mandir or Akshardham.
 |
Swaminarayan Akshardham (2015-ongoing) was envisioned
by the fifth spiritual successor of Nilkanth, later known as
Bhagwan Swaminarayan, and dedicated by the sixth in 2023;
it is the largest mandir in the United States and
the second largest in the world after Angkor Wat (which
was originally Hindu, but now considered Hindu-Buddhist) |
 |
The Akshardham was created from limestone; limestone
and marble were sourced from Bulgaria, Turkey and Italy;
quarried blocks were sent to India for carving and the
pieces were sent to New Jersey to be fitted together by
over 12,000 volunteers doing their seva/service |
The symmetry and design of especially the inner domes was amazing, and built in such a way that a keystone was the final element to be put in place and turned to hold the dome together, including the largest elliptical dome of traditional Hindu architecture in the world.
 |
| Elephants helped build early mandirs |
 |
| Some of the exacting and symmetrical limestone carvings |
 |
Many of the statues represented musicians,
such as this man with a conch shell |
 |
| Some type of bowed string instrument |
 |
| Parikrama/colonnade of sandstone |
 |
Interesting sculpture of a
sculptor carving himself |
 |
| Unexplained sculpture near the video theaters |
 |
Lunch at the Shayona Café: Khaman Chaat made from
chickpea flour, semolina, and curd, topped with spices |
 |
Pav Bhaji/spicy vegetable curry served with
a soft buttered bread roll |
 |
Quote from the current spiritual leader of BAPS,
"In the Joy of Others Lies Our Own,"
along with origami cranes |
