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Temples in New Delhi
Being
the seat of power of consecutive dynasties, the city has
gained a majestic legacy of architectural edifices in the form
of temples, monuments. Delhi as the capital city of India is
looked upon as a complete confluent of the tradition and the
modernization. Delhi gets the distinction of treasuring some
of the splendid temples of India. The city comprises of old
ancient temples as well as unique creation of modern era.
Chattarpur Mandir, Isckon Temple, Lotus Temple, Kali Bari
Mandir, Hanuman Mandir, Kalkaji Mandir, are most renowned
pilgrimage center visited daily by thousand of devotees and
tourist.
Famous Temples of Delhi
Akshar Dham Temple -
Swaminarayan
Akshardham reflects the essence and magnitude of India's
ancient architecture, traditions and timeless spirituality.
The main monument, depicting ancient Indian "vastu shastra"
and architecture, is a marvel in pink sandstone and white
marble that is 141 feet high, 316 feet wide and 370 feet long
with 234 ornate pillars, over 20,000 sculptures and statues of
deities, eleven 72-foot-high huge domes (mandapams) and
decorative arches. And like a necklace, a double-storied
parikrama of red sandstone encircles the monuments with over
155 small domes and 1,160 pillars. The whole monument rises on
the shoulders of 148 huge elephants with 11-feet tall
panchdhatu statue of Swaminarayan presiding over the
structure.
The other attractions of the complex are three exhibition
halls spaced around two huge ponds, where one is a venue for
light-and-sound show. The three halls are "Sahajanand Darshan",
"Neelkanth Darsdhan" and "Sanskruti Vihar". "Sahajanand
Darshan" is where life of Swaminarayan is displayed through
robotic shows, while "Neelkanth Darsdhan" has a huge I-Max
theatre screening movie based on the life of the Lord. Another
amazing presentation is "Sanskruti Vihar" with 12-minute boat
ride experience of India's glorious heritage.
The sprawling Swaminarayan Akshardham complex spread over 30
acres on the banks of the Yamuna near Noida Mor in East Delhi.
For visitors,
entry to the complex is free. However, those who want to visit
exhibition halls and theatres, Rs.125 is to be paid and for
children and senior citizens the charges are Rs.75. "Over
6,000 visitors could easily witness the shows and enjoy
boat-rides everyday, while over 25,000 people can visit the
temple. We have deployed almost 140 guides who will facilitate
visitors during their visit. It requires at least four hours
to visit the entire complex thoroughly and see all the shows,"
said a temple management committee member, adding that the
opening ceremony would be telecast live on Aastha channel.
Elaborate security arrangements have also been made for the
entire complex. Besides installing close circuit television
cameras it has also deployed hundreds of its own security
personnel.
The Rs.400-crore cultural complex, inspired by Pramukh Swami
Maharaj of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam
Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), will be popularised by its
builders as "a place for cultural education and
entertainment". The temple complex has drawn inspiration for
its architecture from the historic temples of Badrinath (Uttaranchal),
Somnath (Gujarat) and Konark (Orissa). It is the second
Akshardham complex in the country after the one at Gandhinagar
in Gujarat.
Even as last-minute preparations are now on for the
inauguration, curious visitors have started coming in for a
look or for offering "puja" and "abhishek".
At the heart of the complex is a palace-like monument
built of at least 12,000 tons of pink sandstone and white
marble brought in from Rajasthan. Topped with a series of
domes, it stands 129 feet high, 275 feet wide and 315 feet
long. Almost every square inch of the exterior has been
exquisitely carved with statues and motifs of Hindu deities
and Indian flora and fauna.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the 83-year-old spiritual leader of the
Swaminarayan sect that has over 10 lakh followers across the
globe, has closely monitored every detail of the complex. It
took over 7,000 builders, masons and polishers to build the
complex in record time. The place is built to withstand major
quakes "and to last at least a thousand years".
The complex also has two huge exhibition halls; one will take
visitors on a visual journey through India's cultural
heritage, while the other "will depict Indian moral values
through a light-and-sound show". The complex also boasts of an
Imax cinema, a canteen big enough to accommodate 5,000 people
at one sitting, a research centre for "social harmony" and
meditation gardens dotted with fountains and bronze
sculptures.
Lotus Temple / Bahai Temple
Bahai Temple also known as Lotus Temple due to its lotus shape
was completed in 1986. Followers of any faith are free to
visit the temple and meditate silently according to their own
religion. The visitors are often attracted by the exquisite
structure of lotus form of the temple, and are captivated by
the edification of the Bahai Faith- oneness of God, oneness of
religions and oneness of mankind.
The maximum number of visitors the Temple has received in a
single day has been 150,000.
The Bahai House of Worship is closed every Monday. Parking is
also free.
Visiting hours: summer 1 April - 30 September - 9:00 a.m. to
7:00 p.m.
winter 1 October - 31 March - 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Prayer Session Timings: 1000 hrs - 1015 hrs (15 minutes), 1200
hrs - 1215 hrs (15 minutes), 1500 hrs - 1515 hrs (15 minutes)
and1700 hrs - 1715 hrs (15 minutes)
Lakshmi Narayan Temple
This temple also known as Birla Mandir was build by G. D.
Birla in 1938. Built on Aravalli Ranges in the west of
Connaught Place the temple is dedicated to the Lord Krishna.
This beautiful shrine is one of the largest temple complexes
in India. In recent times the major fascination of the temple
is the Robert who preach the Gita.
All Hindu festivals are celebrated with enormous enthusiasm.
But the celebrations of Krishna Janmashtami and Deepawali
attract a huge crowd to the temple.
Chhatarpur Temple
Chhatarpur Temple is located at a distance of 4 kms. from Qutb
Minar is one of the most holy pilgrimage of Hindus. Spreading
over a vast area in peaceful atmosphere, the temple represents
an excellent example of modern temple architecture that
manifest prodigal use of marbles. The main Deity in the temple
is Goddess Durga, while one can also worship Shiva, Vishnu,
Lakshmi or Ganesh in contiguous temples.
During Durga Puja days, the plethora of devotees overflows
Chhatarpur temple. It is a religious belief of devotees that
by tying a thread on a tree located in the temple premises one
gets rid of all ailments and troubles.
Navratras: During the 9 days of Navratra festival of the
Hindus, the shrine is visited by countless number of devotees
to offer their prayers to Goddess Durga.
Kalkaji Temple
Situated near the commercial complex of Nehru Place, Kalkaji
temple is dedicated to the Goddess Kalka Devi. The Kali Temple
in Kalkaji has a history of 3000 years. It is said that the
oldest persisting section of the temple dates back to
1764-1771. Devotees also visit the shrine for worship and
meditate. Timing of Aarti: every day at about 7 p.m.
Iskcon Temple
The Iskcon Temple is a conglomerate of temples perched on the
hilly side in south of Delhi. Dedicated to Lord Krishna the
temple was constructed in 1998 and has a largest number of
Hare-Rama Hare Krishna followers. It is an idle place for
finding relief and amity. Chanting mantaras of Hare Rama and
Hare Krishana with the disciples is indeed an enchanting
experience.
Iskcon Temple also organizes animation shows on the life of
Lord Krishana, it also comprised o f a library, a restaurant
Govinda facilitating pure vegetarian cuisine.
Hanuman Temple
The Ancient Hanuman Temple of India is situated on Baba Kharak
Singh Marg, New Delhi, dating back to the time of Pandavas.
The main Deity of the temple is Lord Hanumana.
On every Tuesday special aarti is performed in the temple,
with thousands of devotees paying their payers.
Beside these there are number of other temples famous among
the devotees like Kali Bari Mandir located near Lakshmi
Narayan Temple, Sri Digambar Lal Jain Mandir, Sheetala Devi
Temple, Shirdi Sai Temple (Lodhi Estate), Buddhist
Temples-Buddha Vihara, Mandir Marg
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