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25 years ago today, on 2 July 2001, the foundation and plinth work for Akshardham Mandir on the eastern bank of the Yamuna was completed, and the first sculpted stone for the shrine was ceremonially laid. Four years later, the temple opened to Delhiwale and to the rest of the world. In the two decades since, it has become one of Delhi’s defining landmarks. A major place of pilgrimage, it also ranks among the city’s grandest architectural monuments, comparable in scale to Humayun’s Tomb and Jama Masjid.
The riverside complex is dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a 19th century ascetic. Made of pink sandstone and white marble, the temple features 20,000 sculpted figures, along with many more remarkable features. The new addition is the 108-foot statue of Bhagwan Swaminarayan in his child ascetic form as Neelkanth Varni. Unveiled three months ago, the bronze statue stands with arms raised in devotion, a rosary in one hand. Seen from behind in the accompanying photo, the giant statue frames the temple in the distance, creating one of the complex’s more overwhelming views.
Akshardham Mandir also reminds us that Delhi’s grand temple architecture is largely modern. Unlike Benares or Bhubaneswar, our city has no surviving ancient temple with original architecture intact. One reason is Delhi’s long history under successive Islamic dynasties, from the founding of the Delhi Sultanate in 1206 until the end of Mughal rule in 1857. Those eventful centuries graced the city with an architectural landscape embellished by forts, mosques, tombs, and Sufi shrines.
Indeed, most of Delhi’s architecturally monumental temples were built during the last century. Arguably the most beautiful among them is the pioneering Shri Lakshmi Narayan Temple, aka Birla Mandir, on Mandir Marg. Dedicated to Vishnu Bhagwan, it combines monumental architecture with a profound sense of space and tranquility. Built by the Birla family, the historic temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939 in the presence of Jugal Kishore Birla, whose statue stands in the temple gardens of Indraprastha Dharmavatika. The temple’s prayer hall is at once grand and intimate. The parikrama leads through a gallery lined with marble panels depicting deities, as well as inscribed verses, which include compositions by poet-saints such as Mirabai.
Another architecturally significant temple is Sree Jagannath Mandir near Green Park Market. Built in the 1970s, it is dedicated to Bhagwan Jagannath. Entirely in white, it shines brilliantly against the summer sky.
The last major temple of monumental architecture to be built in Delhi during the 20th century was the ISKCON Temple at East of Kailash. With three soaring spires of brown Dholpur stone and white marble, it was completed two years before the century ended.
As for Akshardham Mandir, its most impressionistic view is experienced from the highway near Noida Mor in the evening, when the sun briefly appears suspended behind the temple’s shikhar.
Mayank Austen Soofi is a writer-snapper trying to capture Delhi by heart.
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