WORLD: BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, the largest Hindu temple in the United States, spread over 185 acres, has been inaugurated here, with devotees underscoring the temple’s message of unity, peace, and harmony for people living across America and the world.

The grand dedication ceremony of Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey, was conducted on Sunday in the presence of Mahant Swami Maharaj following a nine-day celebration that commenced on September 30.

Swami Maharaj performed the ‘Pran Prathistha’ ceremony at the temple amid rituals and traditional ceremonies.

The construction of the temple, dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, started in 2011 and concluded this year. It has been created by 12,500 volunteers from around the world. Among the several key unique features of the temple is the largest elliptical dome ever constructed from stone.

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 has been designed to last a thousand years. The stone used in the construction was sourced from Europe and sent to India, where it underwent intricate craftsmanship. The stone pieces were then brought to the United States, where an assembly of diverse volunteers, under the guidance of volunteer artisans from India, came together to work.

The temple also has the Brahma Kund, a traditional Indian stepwell containing water from over 300 bodies of water from around the world, including the holy rivers of India and all 50 states of the US.

Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, Dilip Chauhan, told the media here that the inauguration and dedication of the Akshardham temple is a “dream come true” for devotees, volunteers, and followers across the US.

He said the Akshardham in Robbinsville is a temple not just for any one community but “this cultural complex is going to bring all communities together” and will be a bridge between the local, state, and federal government and the faith-based community.

“Akshardham in New Jersey marks the third such cultural complex globally. The first Akshardham was created in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat, India, in 1992, followed by Akshardham in New Delhi in 2005,” a statement said.