Akshardham temple

The building had been planned since 1968 as a vision of Yogiji Maharaj. Yogiji Maharaj, the spiritual head of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha at the time, expressed his desire for wanting a grand temple built on the banks of the Yamuna river to two or three devotee families of Swaminarayan that resided in New Delhi at the time. Attempts were made to start the project, however little progress was made. In 1971, Yogiji Maharaj died.

In 1982, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj’s successor as the spiritual head of BAPS, started to continue fulfilling the dream of his guru Yogiji Maharaj and prompted devotees to look into the possibility of build the temple in Delhi. A request for the plan was put forward to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and several different places were suggested, including Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, and Faridabad. Pramukh Swami Maharaj stood firm in following the wishes of Yogiji Maharaj to build a temple on the banks of river Yamuna.

In April 2000, after 18 years of battle the Delhi Development Authority offered 60 acres of land, and the Uttar Pradesh Government offered 30 acres for the project. Upon receiving the land, Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed puja on the site for success in the project. Construction on the temple began on 8 November 2000 and Akshardham was officially opened on 6^th November 2005, with the building being completed in two days short of five years. Thousands of workers involved in the construction of temple.

Akshardham Temple was inaugurated in November 2005, by the former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and Swami Maharaj the spiritual leader of BAPS. Pramukh Swami Maharaj is the current spiritual leader of Swaminarayan Sanstha, BAPS. Swaminarayan Akshardham was constructed under his guidance, after his guru, Yogiji Maharaj, expressed a wish for the same.

The temple preserves 11 ft tall cover with gold statue of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. The building is constructed entirely from Pink Sandstone and Italian Marble, without any concrete or steel. The intricate carvings, magnanimous structure and the backdrop of River Yamuna, render the temple a masterpiece of art. Other than the main temple, there are a number of buildings in the complex where you can enjoy cultural and spiritual activities.

The Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple has recently entered the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world’s largest Hindu temple complex. The temple is spread over an area of 86,342 square feet. It is 356 feet long, 316 feet wide and 141 feet high.

‘Sahajanand Pradarshan’ is the first Hall in the complex. It features life size robots, dioramas, and incidents from Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life. It also houses world’s smallest animatronics robot, in the form of Ghanshyam Maharaj, the child form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

‘Nilkanth Kalyan Yatra’, Hall 2, houses a large format screen. Here, a movie, specially commissioned for the complex, shows the journey of Bhagwan Swaminarayan throughout India.

‘Sanskruti Vihar’, Hall 3, takes visitors on a journey through 10,000 years of Indian history in 10 minutes. Visitors are seated in specially designed peacock boats that make their way around an artificial river.

The Yagnapurush Kund is India’s largest step well. It descends down, via a series of steps, to a traditional ‘yagna kund’. At night, a musical fountain show, representing the circle of life, is played for an audience, seated on the same steps.

The Bharat Upavan, or ‘Garden of India’, has sprawling lawns, varied trees and shrubs, dotted with bronze sculptures of the contributors to India’s culture.

The Yogi Hraday Kamal is a lotus shaped garden, containing stones engraved with quotes from world luminaries, ranging from Shakespeare and Martin Luther King, to Swami Vivekananda and Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

How to Reach :

The Akshardham Temple is situated in East Delhi. The temple is about 9-10 kms from the New Delhi Railway station if you exit from platform no.12 (Ajmeri Gate) and not platform no1. (Paharganj). Auto Rickshaws are easily available. The Akshardham Metro Station is a complement of the temple located nearby. A metro train to the station can be easily boarded from the New Delhi Metro Station. It is around 4 kms from the Nizamuddin Railway Station. You can take an auto from the prepaid counter at the station.

Accommodation :

Delhi has many hotels range from luxury, deluxe, star to budget hotels, which provide enough accommodation options. The hotels well equipped with modern facilities offer the world class services. Some of the most popular hotels are Crown Plaza Surya (5 Star Deluxe), Ashok Hotel (5 Star Deluxe), Hyatt Regency (5 Star Deluxe), Le Meridien (5 Star Deluxe) and Radisson Hotel (5 Star Deluxe).

Madurai Meenakshi Temple

Meenakshi Temple, one of the largest & most spectacular temples in India. Meenakshi Temple is the most exquisite example of the Dravidian architecture. It is a master piece and was the center of activity for the promotion of art and culture in Madurai. Meenakshi Temple is simply breathtaking, colourful with the painted carvings on the outside and the painted ceilings inside. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarer. Meenakshi Amman Temple is located centrally in Madurai and the lotus shaped city surrounds it completely. Meenakshi temple has a thousand pillared ‘Mandapam’. These pillars are carved out of a single granite rock with each of them delicately and exquisitely carved. Among these are the musical pillars, which produce music when tapped. This hall of nearly 1000 pillars gives the entrance and the whole place is in amazing atmosphere. The blowing of the conch shells, the elephant whisks, incense, the silver palanquin and the priests make it a wonderful experience.

History :

Meenakshi temple was originally built by Kulasekarer Pandya. But the credit for the present look of the temple goes to the Nayakas, who ruled Madurai from 16^th to 18^th century. The temple has huge Gopurams which can be seen from a far off distance. There are total twelve gopurams, but the tallest four stand on the outer walls, each facing one direction. Amongst the four gateways, the south one is the tallest. It is about 50 m high and can be climbed to have a view of the entire city.

This gateway contains the twin temples of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarer. These temples are again separately surrounded by four smaller gopurams. Meenakshi Amman Temple can be entered from any of its five entrances. The eastern entrance is usually preferred, as it opens in front of the Meenakshi Sannidhi (shrine), the reigning deity of the twin-temple. This is the only entrance which does not have a towering gopuram.

Ashta Shakti Mandapam is the first attraction on this side of the temple. It was built by Thirumalai Nayakar’s wives. The pillars in the hall are carved with Lord Siva’s Tiruvilayadals (miracles) and the life story of Meenakshi, as the princess of Madurai. There are a number of other halls and towers in the temple which are worth watching for their sculptures, carvings and designs. Each one is different from the other, in one aspect or the other.

The streets of Madurai were named after months in the Tamil calendar. This sacred town of south attracts thousands of pilgrims and visitors from India as well as abroad.  The city has many shops, street markets and temples, hotels and restaurants. The city of Madurai is also famed for its traditional handicrafts in bronze and brass.

How to Reach:

Madurai is connected by air with Mumbai and Chennai. Madurai airport is 10 km away from the city. Madurai has direct train connections to Bangalore, Coimbatore, Kollam, Chennai, Rameshwaram, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tirupathi and Tuticorin. There are excellent roads connecting Madurai to all parts of South India. Madurai city has 5 Major Bus Stands Periyar Bus Stand, Anna Bus Stand, Palanganatham Bus Stand, Arapalayam Bus Stand, Mattuthavani Bus Stand. From Madurai town buses, suburban buses, taxis, auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available to reach the temple.

Accommadition :

There are a number of hotels in Madurai which can prove to be good accommodation options. Some of the good hotels in the city are Best Western Germanus Hotel, Hotel Sangam, Hotel Taj Garden Retreat and Hotel Madurai Ashok ect.

Lord Sree Rama Temple at Bhadrachalam.

Deity:Lord Rama

Bhadrachalam near Khammam. This ancient shrine is built on a hill, accessed by a flight of steps. This temple is vast in size. The vimana and the mandapams are of fine craftsmanship. This temple is associated with Bhadrachala Ramadas an ardent devotee of Rama. The temple underwent renovation in the 17th century. Valmiki has sung the story of Sri Ramachandra here. The spot where the temple stands was where Lord Rama lived before Ravana carried Sita away. Lord Rama is said to have given Ramachandra darshan and liberated his soul. That is why it is called Bhadrachalam in the memory of the Saint Bhadra. The temple has beautiful pieces of sculpture that captivates the attention with their sheer beauty and excellence of workmanship. Sri Rama is shown here as handsome, well-built, holding the Dhanus-bow and arrow, and standing in the Tribhanga pose. Sita stands close to him, also in Tribhanga pose, with a lotus in one hand and the other hand in the katyavalambita posture.

Bhadrachalam Rama TempleLegend: The temple was consecrated by manushya pratishtha according to local legends the temple finds its first mention with a Bairagi or mendicant who came from Ayodhya. He resided on a small hillock overlooking the mighty Godavari. Here he carved out an image of Srirama and built a small temple. Ramadas were a Taluk official who was sent here to collect the revenues for his masters. He collected the revenues, but instead of remitting them to his masters, he thought that the money could be better used for constructing a temple for Srirama, and hence spent all the money for enlarging the small temple. He was found a guilty of embezzlement and was sentenced to prison by Tanashah for 12 years.

Lord Rama, pleased with his devotee, he chose to appear before the Kutub Shahi ruler, in the form of Gopanna and showered lakes of rupees. The king freed Saint Ramadas and was also allowed to mint gold coins, popularly known as ramatangi. An unlettered woman Dammakka is said to have lived in the hamlet near the hill. She saw a vision of the images of Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana lying sheltered in an unfrequented spot on the hill. Next day, she climbed the hill and discovered the idols on the very spot she had dreamt. Dammakka is said to have built a small mantapa to house these idols.

Festivals: Ramadas expanded the temple and constructed mantapas and gopuras for conducting several festivals for the Lord particularly Sri Ramnavami which is celebrated on a grand scale here. The temple till recently got an endowment of Rs. 20,000/- from the Nizam`s treasury, for the maintenance of worship of Sri Rama. It was at Bhadrachalam that Sri Rama lost Sita, and it was here that he manifested himself to save his devotee Ramadas. During Sri Rama Navami endless streams of pilgrims do the famous Bhadrachala Yatra.

The Yatra follows a serpentine track, creeping up many ancient hill and passes through many dales and woods, which are a part of the Dandakaranya forest (of Ramayana), which form a part of his exile.

Other Shrines: close by are in the vicinity: Parnasala, 32 km near Bhadrachalam is said to be the site of the hut where Rama, Sita and Lakshman lived in exile. Ushnagundam, a hot water spring 6 km near Bhadrachalam is another site visited by them.