About Swaminarayan Akshardham
Built by volunteers organized by BAPS, the temple dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan combines pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble. There are 234 carved pillars, nine domes and about 20,000 sculptures, in a density of detail that makes everyone walk more slowly. On the Gajendra Peeth, the carved stories are all about elephants.
Around it are exhibitions, a boat ride of about 15 minutes through dioramas of ancient India and the Narayan Sarovar lake, which gathers water from 151 sacred lakes and rivers. At nightfall, the water show runs for 24 minutes. Phones and cameras go in the free locker before the security check: here, the photo stays only in your memory.
