Akshardham,second largest Hindu temle, to be inauguratied on Oct 8 in New Jersey

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha has said the Swaminarayan Akshardham at Robbinsville Township in New Jersey will be formally inaugurated under the guidance of its spiritual head Mahant Swami Maharaj on October 8 and will be opened for visitors from October 18.The world’s second largest temple constructed outside India measures 255 ft x 345 ft x 191 ft and spans over 183 acres. It has been designed according to ancient Hindu scriptures and includes design elements from ancient Indian culture including 10,000 statues and statuettes, carvings of Indian musical instruments and dance forms.The New Jersey Akshardham temple is possibly the second largest after Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The 12th-century Angkor Wat Temple Complex, the largest Hindu temple in the World, is spread over 500 acres and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.The temple design includes one main shrine, 12 sub-shrines, nine shikhars (spire-like structures), and nine pyramidal shikhars. Akshardham houses the largest elliptical dome of traditional stone architecture ever constructed. It is designed to last a thousand years.The temple is built by an army of more than 12,500 volunteers from across the US in over 12 years from 2011 to 2023. They were guided by artisan volunteers from India.