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NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 10, 2005: A pink sandstone and white marble temple complex of the Swaminarayan sect (BAPS) that opens here in November will double as a modern center of spirituality and learning about Indian culture. The Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex, coming up on 30 acres of the Yamuna bank, will be a place for cultural education and entertainment, said one of the senior members responsible for the project. The temple, which is only a part of the complex, was opened to devotees February 13, 2003. The rest, under construction for five years, will have a center on Indian culture, exhibition sites and theme gardens. With barely seven months to go, workers are toiling day and night to put up the 120 ornate pillars and 1,200 statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses that will adorn the center. The center, when ready, will be 129 feet high, 275 feet wide and 315 feet long. Its architecture draws inspiration from the temples of Badrinath (Uttaranchal), Somnath (Gujarat) and Konark (Orissa).



When completed, an IMAX theater will show films on culture and spirituality. A 10-minute boat ride will showcase India since the Vedic civilization with its contribution to science, medicine and mathematics. Theme gardens, with lotus ponds and musical fountains, will have 60 bronze sculptures on four themes–“Courageous children of India,” “Inspiring women of India,” Great leaders of India” and “Visionaries of India.”

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