Robbinsville Sri Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Jersey United States

Address

Robbinsville Sri Swaminarayan Akshardham 112 N Main St, Windsor, NJ 08561, Robbinsville, New Jersey United States

Diety

Swaminarayan , Shiva, Krishna, , Ram, Hanuman, Ganapati, Amman: Parvati, Radha, Sita

Introduction

The Akshardham Temple Campus in Robbinsville, New Jersey is one of the largest temples in the United States is a Hindu mandir (temple) complex.. The temple campus sprawls over 160 acres. A seat of spirituality, divinity, Hinduism and humanitarianism, the temple opened its door to devotees in 2014. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville in Central New Jersey is a Hindu place of worship built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and consecrated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Swaminarayan Sanstha, led by Mahant Swami Maharaj, is a denomination of the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. The mandir is built of hand-carved Italian Carrara marble, Turkish limestone, and Indian pink stone. The mandir was constructed according to guidelines outlined in ancient Vedas, or Hindu scriptures. The mandir is open daily to visitors and for worship. In addition to the mandir, the complex includes a congregation hall.

Puranic Significance

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was first proposed and envisioned by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 1997 as a part of Swaminarayan Akshardham in North America. The mandir’s construction commenced in 2010. The mandir was built in the Nagaradi style using 68,000 cubic feet of Italian Carrara marble. The marble obtained from quarries in Europe was shipped to Rajasthan, India where hundreds of artisans carved the stones. After the finished pieces of stone were assembled in workshops, engineers sequentially numbered the pieces and shipped them to Robbinsville. Upon their arrival, the pieces were organized using the numbering system to facilitate the mandir’s construction. The entrance to the mandap, called the Mayur Dwar, contains carvings depicting peacocks, elephants, and celebrated Hindu devotees of past eras. The mandir is a shikarbaddha mandir, built according to principles laid out in the Shilpa Shastras, Hindu texts prescribing standards of sacred architecture. Within the mandir, murtis, the sacred images of the deities, have been consecrated. The central shrine holds the murtis of Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami, together worshipped as Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj. Similarly, different shrines hold other murtis, including Radha & Krishna, Shiva & Parvati, Sita & Ram, Hanuman, Ganapati, and the lineage of BAPS gurus who are Swaminarayan’s spiritual successors. According to Hindu beliefs, once the divine has been invoked in a murti, it becomes an embodiment of the Divine. Accordingly, Swaminarayan swamis, or monks, offer devotional worship to the deities throughout the day. Before dawn, they awaken the deities by singing prabhatiya (morning hymns). The deities are then bathed and offered food and garments depending on the time of the day and season.

Special Features

 One of the most interesting facts about the making of the Akshardham Temple in New Jersey is that stone marble was sourced from Europe and handcrafted in Rajasthan for years. The main building is a 4-floor structure. There is a permanent exhibition dedicated to the heritage, history and culture of India. The ornate pillars, panels, walls and ceilings depict stories of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and ancient scriptures. The halls are dotted with life-size idols of spiritual leaders and monks from the Indian Hindu community. 40 small Fasnakar style shikhars (spires)  2 large and 8 small ghummats (domes)  98 sthambhas (carved pillars)  66 intricately carved peacock style arches  144 carved sacred figures  58 decorative ceiling designs  34 decorative grills  91 elephants with various musical instruments and flowers  44 Ganesh Murtis portrayed offering devotion to Bhagwan  13,499 individual carved stone pieces  Height: 42 feet  Width: 87 feet  Length: 133 feet