Spiritual Splendor

In New Jersey, a religious monument is transcending all boundaries

- HUNTER HULBERT

The Akshardham Mahamandir has several layers that, together, embody God. The base represents the feet and knees, the columns represent the abdomen and upper body of God and the superstructure on top is the head of God.

When you enter the campus of the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, it’s likely you won’t have any words for the beauty that unfolds before you.

A mesmerizing arcade of intricate archways made of hand-carved, pink sandstone, a serene stepped pond filled with water from India’s 108 holy rivers, elephant statues adorned in immaculate golden rugs, caps and anklets: It’s all — quite literally — breathtaking.

There may be nothing more stunning, though, than the Akshardham Mahamandir. This temple of worship is the grand centerpiece of the complex, encrusted in Bulgarian and Turkish limestone. A whopping 10,000 statues and statuettes depicting deities, ancient musical instruments and dance forms are embedded throughout the structure, which you can also see inside, along with spotless granite imported from China and India. Oh, but don’t forget to look up. Otherwise, you won’t spot the largest elliptical dome ever constructed from stone.

None of this truly catches people by surprise, though, at least not as much as the base of the Mahamandir, before you even get to the point of admiring all the impeccable details. Here lies something relatively subtle — a series of plaques with quotes from famous faces.

Sure, there’s the sacred Hindu sayings from Rig Veda and Pramukh Swami Maharaj, but wait … is that Martin Luther King Jr.? Carved onto a Hindu temple?