Akshardham Temple

Akshardham Temple

Akshardham Temple, somewhat resembling a Disneyland castle, was built with donations from devotees of the Swaminarayan Hindu movement and opened in 2005. It is made of salmon-colored sandstone with a carved marble interior. It has about 20,000 stone-carved deities; the temple’s architecture combines Orissa, Gujjar, Mughal and Rajasthani traditions. Around the perimeter stand 148 stone elephants, among which no two are alike.

General information

www.akshardham.com;Noida turning, National Hwy 24;9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues Oct-March, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tues April-Sept;Akshardham metro

The temple has an area of 12 hectares and is so huge and grandiose that it is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The Akshardham Temple is dedicated to Hindu and Indian culture, spirituality and architecture.

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Leave yourself at least half a day to walk around the temple (it’s less crowded on weekdays), as there’s plenty to see, including a boat ride through all 10,000 years of Indian history, animated performances from the life of Swaminarayan, and musical fountains.