ROBBINSVILLE, Mercer County (New Jersey), Oct 11: The BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham
in New Jersey, the largest Hindu temple in the world, was officially inaugurated
on Sunday. It will open to the public on October 18.
The construction of the temple located in Robbinsville city in the State of
New Jersey in the US took 12 years. It is situated on 180 acres of land, has
10,000 statues and a very large elliptical dome made of stone. There is a Brahm
Kund stepping well inside.
The temple was built by an organization called Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam
Swaminarayan Sanstha or BAPS, which has temples around the world. It is dedicated
to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a Hindu spiritual leader of the 19th century. The temple
was the creation of his 5th spiritual successor Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
The huge quantities of marble required were sourced from all over the world,
including Greece, Italy and India.
The temple walls have carvings of historical figures like Martin Luther King
Jr. and Abraham Lincoln as well.
