The second largest Hindu temple in the world and the largest in the US has opened to worshipers in New Jersey after taking more than 12,500 volunteers around the world over 12 years to build.
A number of celebrations in the lead up to the grand opening took place on site this week.
The official inauguration for BAPS Akshardham, the massive 87,975-square-foot, 191-foot-tall temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, is scheduled for Sunday.
Orchestrated by BAPS Spiritual Leader and Guru Mahant Swami Maharaj, said Sunday ceremony will be telecast live worldwide.
BAPS, or Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, is a Hindu tradition that follows the teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
The Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, sent congratulations on the opening of the temple.
The second largest Hindu temple in the world will open Sunday in Robbinsville, New Jersey
The massive 87,975-square-foot, 191-foot-tall temple will open in limited capacity after its official dedication
The temple is expected to host events each day in the next week with a different theme related to Indian culture
The temple features 10,000 statues and 151 carvings depicting ancient Indian musical instruments
The large temple spans 185 acres and is dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a respected Hindu spiritual leader from the 19th century.
The temple is made of stones of marble, granite and limestone – sourced from various places in Europe and sent to India, where artisans carved intricately.
Stone pieces were then shipped to the US and assembled by volunteers from around the world under the guidance of artisans from India.
The temple features 10,000 statues and 151 carvings depicting ancient Indian musical instruments.
For the past week, the temple has held events each day with a different theme related to Indian culture.
The entire campus will be open to visitors from October 18, according to the BAPS Akshardham.
“To have this Akshardham here on American soil is not just the triumph of a community or the triumph of the diaspora – it is the triumph of the nation,” Chaitali Inamdar, a devotee, told the Washington Post.
The temple is made of stones of marble, granite and limestone – sourced from various places in Europe and sent to India, where artisans intricately carved
Stone pieces were then shipped to the US and assembled by volunteers from around the world under the guidance of artisans from India
The New York tri-state area is known for its large Hindu American population and community of Hindu devotees
Stone pieces were then shipped to the US and assembled by volunteers from around the world under the guidance of artisans from India
The New York tri-state area is known for its large Hindu American population and community of Hindu devotees.
In 2021, the New Jersey Akshardham was accused of using forced labor, with a lawsuit alleging that the BAPS organization lured low-caste men from India to work for $1 an hour.
The lawsuit filed in May later expanded those claims to include temples across the country in November, but has since been put on hold.
The BAPS has built more than 100 temples in the US and approximately 1,400 temples around the world, including India, the UK, the US, Canada, Kenya, South Africa and Australia.
The temple will attract hundreds of visitors to New Jersey
The BAPS has built more than 100 temples in the US and approximately 1,400 temples around the world
The Great Temple in New Delhi, India is the world’s largest all-encompassing Hindu temple. It took more than five years and involved more than 8,000 volunteers in its construction.
Robbinsville Mayor David Fried thanked volunteers for their work earlier this week.
“What you teach our youth is so important because the next generation needs to become part of our community, and that’s something you should be very proud of,” he told a gathering.
‘We are grateful and honored that you thought to choose our community and had the vision to transform this piece of land into something truly incredible.’
The temple will attract hundreds of visitors to New Jersey, local publication NJ.com Friday report.