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.
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| 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 |
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| In the background is the Akshardham (meaning the eternal abode or divine home of God) |
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| At age 11, Nilkanth began a pilgrimage to the holy sites of India, alone and barefoot, traveling 8,000 miles from 1792-1799 |
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| A statue of the youthful Nilkanth, when he performed this yogic pose for two-and- a-half months to purify body and mind |
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| A symbolic river lined with the names of the 108 holy rivers in India |
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| 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 |
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| North end of Brahm Kund with a view of the Welcome Center |
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| Brahm Kund with a view of the Hindu Mandir/place of worship |
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| A relief to show the shape of Brahm Kund from above |
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| Tulips indicate spring is here |
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| Toran Gate represents a garland of flowers being offered to the visitor in welcome |
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| Already the detail of the hand-carved sandstone is impressive |
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| Inside the Welcome Center |
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| Carved Burmese teak wood and rows of [LED] lanterns (totaling 2,700!) |
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| One of many mosaic-like lighted panels |
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| A Hindu Mandir/"place where the mind becomes still" (2010-2014) |
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| 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) |
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| 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 |
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| Elephants helped build early mandirs |
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| Some of the exacting and symmetrical limestone carvings |
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| Many of the statues represented musicians, such as this man with a conch shell |
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| Some type of bowed string instrument |
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| Parikrama/colonnade of sandstone |
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| Interesting sculpture of a sculptor carving himself |
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| Unexplained sculpture near the video theaters |
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| Lunch at the Shayona Café: Khaman Chaat made from chickpea flour, semolina, and curd, topped with spices |
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| Pav Bhaji/spicy vegetable curry served with a soft buttered bread roll |
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| Quote from the current spiritual leader of BAPS, "In the Joy of Others Lies Our Own," along with origami cranes |
