Opening celebrations were held this week for the World’s largest modern Hindu temple outside India, the Akshardham in New Jersey. Thousands of worshippers attended the stunning 191-feet-tall temple inauguration. The temple is located in Robbinsville, New Jersey. The temple is special in many ways as the 2 million cubic feet of stone was hand-carved by artisans and volunteers for about 4.7 million hours.
Volunteers from the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham North America are hosting the inauguration ceremony. The celebrations will end on Sunday with a grand ceremony organized by BAPS spiritual leader and Guru Mahant Swami Maharaj.
The temple measures 255 ft*345 ft*191 ft and is spread over 183 acres making it the modern biggest Hindu temple outside India. The temple has been built by more than 12,500 volunteers from across the United States in over 12 years.
The temple has been designed according to the 10,000 statues and statuettes, carvings, and other dance forms from the ancient Hindu scriptures. The temple includes one main shrine, 12 sub-shrines, nine shikhars and nine pyramidal shikhars. The temple is designed to last at least a thousand years.
