| |
Akshardham Temple in Delhi
If you are one of those people who are stuck in the daily rut of Delhi
life working 24x7 and dying for a break, the Swaminarayan Akshardham
Complex is the place to head for. And contrary to clichéd perceptions,
it is not so much a temple as it is a monument.
For those used to the never-ending ring of their mobile phones
and Blackberries, a visit to Akshardham might just come as a culture
shock. You are not permitted to carry anything besides your wallet.
Mobile phones, cameras, handbags and everthing else must be deposited
at special counters before you can go through to the security check.
The first thing that strikes you is he assembly of 10 gates, which
represent the 10 principal directions of Indian
culture: music, dance, literature etc. The gates have been created
to invite goodness from all directions.
As you cross the gates, you see the Bhakti Dwar and the twin Mayur
Dwars. The first is a 'Gate of Devotion' seeking to
celebrate the vedic tradition of dual worship where devotees worship
both God and His chosen devotee. The Mayur Dwars are the twin peacock
gats, each adorned with 869 sculpted peacocks.
Between these two dwars are the holy footprints of Bhagwan Swaminarayan
carved out of white marble, on which water is continuously showered
from four large conch shells.
The focal point of the complex is the grand Akshardham
monument built of pint sandstone and white marble. An impressive
141 feet high, it features 234 intricately carved pillars, nine
domes, 20 pinnacles and over 20,000 sculpted figures. The monument
authorities announce with pride that the entire monument has been
built with no steel to revive an ancient Indian architectural tradition.
Ensconced at the center of the monument is the 11-feet high gold-plated
idol of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, and several Hindu deities. Visitors
to the main monument could take a careful look at the domes and
20 quadrangle pinnacles that are a perfect example of ancient India's
engineering technology.
Amid
this ambience of the ancient, the Akshardham authorities have also
brought in the best elements of the modern: there are perfectly
clean toilets at every 51 yards; almost all te staff are volunteer
workers so all enquiries are met with willing assistance rather
then the surly countenances one encounters at most other Indian
monuments. There is also a food court where one can get a
vegetarian Gujarati thali and snacks and refreshments.
Entry to the monument, the complex and the lawns are free of charge.
There are, however, some sections where entry carries a fee. For
example, a ticket of Rs. 20 is required to see the musical fountain
- at the center of an ancient India style replica Yagnapurush
Kund - which is a 15-minute show each evening at 6:45 p.m.
There is also a Rs. 125 charge to visit halls1, 2 and 3 - a small price to pay for the quality of displays put up in these. Hall 1 o the Sahajanand Darshan or hall of Values includes a 50-minute sound and light show with robotic figures about universal values for humanity. Hall Number 2 or Neelkanth Darshan screens a 40-minute film at India's only large format screen portraying the story of a child yogi.
The highlight of the visit to the complex, however, is a trip to Hall 3 or Sanskruti Vihar where you can take a spectacular boat ride through a representation of 10,000 years on Indian culture that once flourished on he banks of the river Saraswati. Visitors are taken through the world's oldest vedic village and bazaar, Takshila the world's first university and even a tableaux of just how people cooked in the vedic era.
Clearly, one visit or one day is not really sufficient to explore all of Akshardham but if you keep in mind that entry is free and it is an in city escape from daily life you may well be tempted to go back.
|
