By Dolores Chang For Dailymail.Com
Published: 16:56 EDT, 7 October 2023 | Updated: 01:51 EDT, 8 October 2023 pebbles
The second largest Hindu temple in the world and the largest in the U.S. has opened to worshippers in New Jersey after taking more than 12,500 volunteers across the world over 12 years to build.
A number of celebrations in the lead up to the grand opening have taken place at the site this week.
The official inauguration for BAPS Akshardham, the massive 87,975 square-foot, 191-feet tall temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, is scheduled for Sunday.
Orchestrated by BAPS Spiritual Leader and Guru Mahant Swami Maharaj, said the Sunday ceremony will be broadcast live worldwide.
BAPS, or Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, is a Hindu tradition following the teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
New York City mayor Eric Adams, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Mod, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sent congratulations for the temple's opening.
The second largest Hindu temple in the world is set to open Sunday in Robbinsville, New Jersey
The massive 87,975 square-foot, 191-feet tall temple will open in a limited capacity after its official inauguration
The temple is expected to host events each day with a different theme related to Indian culture in the next week
The temple features 10,000 statues and 151 carvings depicting ancient Indian musical instruments
Spanning 185 acres, the grand temple is dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a revered Hindu spiritual leader from the 19th century.
The temple is made of stoned of Marble, granite, and limestones - sourced from various places in Europe and shipped to India, where artisans carved intricately.
Stone pieces were then shipped to the U.S. and assembled by volunteers from all over the world under guidance of artisans from India.
The temple features 10,000 statues and 151 carvings depicting ancient Indian musical instruments.
In the past week, the temple held events each day with a different theme related to Indian culture.
The entire campus will be open to visitors starting from October 18, according to the BAPS Akshardham.
'Having this Akshardham here on American soil is not just the triumph of a community or the triumph of the diaspora — it is the triumph of the nation,' Chaitali Inamdar, a devotee, told the Washington Post.
The temple is made of stoned of Marble, granite, and limestones - sourced from various places in Europe and shipped to India, where artisans carved intricately
Stone pieces were then shipped to the U.S. and assembled by volunteers from all over the world under guidance of artisans from India
The New York tri-state area is known for its large Hindu American population and community of Hindu devotees
Stone pieces were then shipped to the U.S. and assembled by volunteers from all over the world under guidance of artisans from India
The New York tri-state area is known for its large Hindu American population and community of Hindu devotees.
In 2021, the New Jersey Akshardham was accused of using forced labor, with lawsuit alleging that the BAPS organization had enticed low-caste men from India to work for $1 an hour.
The lawsuit filed in May later expanded those claims to include temples around the country in November but has been put on hold since then.
The BAPS has constructed more than 100 temples in the U.S. and around 1,400 temples across the world, including India, the UK, US, Canada, Kenya, South Africa, and Australia.
The temple is set to draw hundreds of visitors to New Jersey
The BAPS has constructed more than 100 temples in the U.S. and around 1,400 temples across the world
The grand temple in New Delhi, India, is the world's largest all-encompassing Hindu temple. It took over five years and involved more than 8,000 volunteers in its construction.
Robbinsville Mayor David Fried thanked volunteers for their work earlier this week.
'What you are teaching our youth is so important because the next generation needs to become part of our community, and that is something that you should be very proud of,' he said at an assembly.
'We are grateful and honored that you thought to choose our community and had the vision to turn this piece of land into something that is truly unbelievable.'
The temple is set to draw hundreds of visitors to New Jersey, local publication NJ.com reported Friday.
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