BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey, is a 183-acre (74.1-hectare) Hindu mandir (temple) complex that encompasses the Akshardham mandir, a traditional temple, a welcome center, museum, and event space.Following the opening of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in 2014,the Akshardham mandir was inaugurated on October 8, 2023 as the world’s 2nd largest Hindu temple. The temple stands 191 feet (58 m) high and is situated 99 km south of New York City.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
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. The BAPS 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, Indian pink stone and limestone. The mandir was constructed according to guidelines outlined in ancient Vedas, or Hindu scriptures. The mandir is open daily to visitors and for worship (darshan). In addition to the mandir, the complex includes a congregation hall.
Mandir and daily rituals
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 and Krishna; Shiva and Parvati; Sita and 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.Food that has been offered to the deities is considered sanctified and distributed to the devotees as prasadam.
Aarti, a ritual where devotees sing the glory of God while a lighted wick is circulated before the murtis, is performed five times a day and named mangala aarti, shanagar aarti, rajabhoga aarti, sandhya aarti and shayana aarti, respectively. Finally, swamis adorn the murtis with night garments and ask the deities to retire for the night.
