Akshardham Temple at night

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Spiritual bliss with a twist. Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi

Today's image features Swaminarayan Akshardham in Delhi, a tribute to yogi Swaminarayan (1781-1830), along with the avatars, deities and sages of Hinduism. This remarkable site is celebrated for its enduring essence of devotion, purity and tranquillity. Architecturally, the complex is designed according to ancient and medieval Indian architectural texts, known as the shilpa shastras. It boasts several notable attractions, including an abhishek mandap and the Sahaj Anand water show. It also has a theme garden and three immersive exhibitions: Sahajanand Darshan, which highlights core principles; Neelkanth Darshan, a film depicting Swaminarayan's early years and Sanskruti Darshan, a cultural boat.

The temple features 234 exquisitely carved pillars, nine grand domes, 20 intricately designed spires and 20,000 statues depicting key Hindu figures. At the temple's grand central dome stands a majestic 3.4-metre-high idol of Swaminarayan, depicted in the abhayamudra posture. Additionally, the temple houses other deities including Sita-Rama, Radha-Krishna, Shiva-Parvati and Lakshmi-Narayana.