Swaminarayan Akshardham (New Jersey)

Swaminarayan Akshardham
Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DeitySwaminarayan,
Radha Krishna, Venkateshwara-Padmavathi,
Sita-Rama Lakshman Hanuman,
Shiva-Parvati Kartikeya Ganesha
Location
LocationRobbinsville, Mercer County, New Jersey, U.S.
Geographic coordinates40°15′15″N 74°34′40″W / 40.25417°N 74.57778°W / 40.25417; -74.57778
Architecture
Type
Creator
InscriptionsSpiritual-Cultural Complex
Website
usa.akshardham.org

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is a Hindu mandir (temple) built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in Robbinsville, New Jersey, within Mercer County, in central New Jersey. It is the largest Hindu mandir in the United States and the third-largest in the world, the largest outside of Asia, and the largest Hindu mandir built in modern times,[1] rising 213 ft (65 m) above ground.[2] The mandir has a total of 13 shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities. The central shrine is dedicated to Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami, worshiped together as Akshar Purushottam Maharaj.

The 183-acre (74 ha) Akshardham campus contains the main Akshardham mandir, a smaller traditional shikharbaddha mandir, Nilkanth Plaza, a welcome center, a vegetarian cafe, the BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute, a museum, and an event center.[3] The Akshardham was inspired by BAPS's fifth spiritual leader, Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The land was purchased in 2008, and construction of Akshardham mandir began in 2015.

On October 8, 2023, Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual head of BAPS, performed the consecration ceremony and formally inaugurated the mandir.[4][5] Several months after the Akshardham mandir opening, a registration process was implemented to facilitate an improved visitor experience. On weekends, national holidays, and selected Indian holidays, free advanced registration is required.[6] This Robbinsville temple is one of world's three Akshardham mandirs constructed by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha; the other two are in New Delhi and Gandhinagar.[7][8]

In May 2021, a lawsuit was filed against BAPS by several volunteer artisans from India[3] who were involved in the construction alleging that the temple administrators violated labor laws.[9][10] The lawsuit alleged that over 200 Indian men, mostly of the lower castes, were brought from India to the US and were subject to wage theft, forced labor, and human trafficking.[11][9]

  1. ^ "World's largest Hindu temple outside India in modern era to be inaugurated on October 8 in New Jersey". The Indian Express. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "The largest Hindu temple on American soil will soon open its doors". Washington Post. 2023-09-29. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  4. ^ "Akshardham Temple, billed to be second-largest in world, inaugurated in US". Tribune India.
  5. ^ General, Ryan (2023-10-09). "Largest modern Hindu temple outside India opens in US". NextShark. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  6. ^ "Akshardham US introduces registration system for personalized visitor experience".
  7. ^ "PM Modi, Rishi Sunak extend wishes for Akshardham temple inauguration in USA". India Today. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  8. ^ Nimje, Sonika Nitin. "Swaminarayan Akshardham: All details on largest Hindu temple outside India". Business Standard.
  9. ^ a b Correal, Annie (2021-05-11). "Hindu Sect Is Accused of Using Forced Labor to Build N.J. Temple". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  10. ^ Simko-Bednarski, Evan (11 May 2021). "Lawsuit claims New Jersey Hindu temple was built on forced labor". CNN. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  11. ^ Silva, Daniella (May 11, 2021). "Hindu temple in New Jersey accused of 'shocking violations' in forced-labor lawsuit". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.