Akshardham Temple, New Delhi

Akshardham is a Hindu temple complex in New Delhi, India. The megha Akshardham temple complex was opened to the public on 8th November 2005 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS (the organization responsible for the creation of Akshardham) and ceremoniously dedicated to the nation by the President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam and the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

Sitting on the banks of the Yamuna River, adjacent to the proposed Commonwealth Games village, the complex features a large monument, crafted entirely of stone, permanent exhibitions on Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Hinduism, an IMAX cinema, musical fountain, and large landscaped gardens.

The temple which depicts the Hindu mythology and Indian culture promises to attract lakhs of tourists’ every year with its religious tourism.

Build over an area of 100 acres on the banks of the River Yamuna, it took more than 2 years for construction and costed around Rs.2 billion, funded by millions of Bochasanvasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) followers worldwide.

The temple has 234 ornate pillars, 20,000 statues and many arches. Besides the Swaminarayan temple the complex consists of the main monument, exhibition halls, an IMAX theatre and a musical fountain, surrounded by a garden. It also got a restaurant modeled on the Ajanta and Ellora caves and an Ayurvedic bazaar.

The monument was constructed by BAPS Foundation, the builders of the various Swaminaryan Temples across the world. It took over 300 million man hours of services rendered by 11,000 volunteers, sadhus and artisans.

The Akshardham monument, Built inch to inch according to the ancient Sthaapatya shastras of India, is built without steel, and is entirely composed of sandstone and marble.

consists of 234 ornately carved pillars, 9 ornate domes, 20 quadrangled shikhars, a spectacular Gajendra Pith (plinth of stone elephants) and 20,000 murtis and statues of India's great sadhus, devotees, acharyas and divine personalities.

It is one of the biggest and most intricate religious places of worship ever constructed. Combining several completely different and contrasting architectural styles of Hindu temple architecture of northern India -- Rajasthani, Orissan, Gujarati, Mughal and Jain -- the Akshardham Monument is entirely constructed of marble and the red-sandstone that Delhi is famous for, and that so many of her monuments are constructed of. So after years of waiting, the Temple was opened to the public -- and to photographers.

At its inauguration, it is widely being heralded as one of the greatest monuments India has ever produced. The monument is a fusion of several architectural styles of pink stone and pure white marble. Pink stone symbolizes bhakti (devotion) in eternal bloom and white marble of absolute purity and eternal peace.

It is one of the wonders of the modern world, and the wonders of modern India.