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A Mandir
on the Banks of River
Yamuna...
A Wish Fulfilled...
In the heart of India's capital,
New Delhi, and on the banks of the holy
river Yamuna, the mandir emerges like a glistening pearl.
Intricately sculpted in Italian Carrara marble, the mandir is a monument
to
Hindu spirituality and ancient architecture.
At the heart of the mandir the divine murtis of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and
Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami captivate the visiting pilgrims.
35 years ago, Yogiji Maharaj prophesied that a grand mandir would be built
on the
banks of the Yamuna. And history was created when Pramukh Swami Maharaj
fulfilled this prophecy on 6 February 2003.
Here we present highlights of how the mandir was built and
the festival that celebrated its opening...
Delhi is the capital of India and there the sovereign Purushottam Narayan
is to preside. So we want to hold a grand pratishtha celebration....
"It was Yogiji Maharaj's wish, so the mandir festival will be grand..."
From over 1400 kilometres away, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, in Mumbai, enthusiastically
told the sadhus in Delhi to organise a grand celebration for the breathtaking
new mandir in New Delhi.
Despite frail health, Swamishri was recovering from a 10-day bout of fever
and diarrhoea, his voice over the telephone was fresh and encouraging.
The satisfaction that Yogiji Maharaj's long-held wish would be fulfilled
was plainly evident. From the very beginning he had set the standards,
"It is Yogiji Maharaj's wish that a mandir be built on the banks
of Yamuna in Delhi. So we want to make it the best."
Thirty-five years ago, Yogiji Maharaj expressed his heartfelt wish that
a mandir dedicated to Akshar Purushottam Maharaj be consecrated on the
banks of Yamuna in New Delhi.
This wish of Yogiji Maharaj became a mission for Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
By his tireless efforts over the past three decades, this wish has been
fulfilled and it is a reflection of Swamishri's singular devotion for
his guru. Sculpted in intricate detail, entirely from Italian Carrara
marble, the 60 ft. high mandir was constructed, from foundation to pinnacle,
in a record-breaking nine months.
The shilanyas ceremony was performed by Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami on 4-5-2001.
It was Yogiji Maharaj's wish that a marble murti of guru Shastriji Maharaj
be consecrated in this mandir, hence, Pramukh Swami Maharaj chose 6-2-2003,
Vasant Panchmi, the birthday of Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj, as the
murti-pratishtha date.
Together with the mandir, a host of ancilliary buildings - residence for
sadhus, residence for volunteers, residence for pilgrims, kitchens, etc.
- have also been built within a year.
The task of completing this challenging project was spearheaded by Ishwarcharan
Swami and a support team of sadhus and volunteers.
Responsibility for sculpting the marble was wholeheartedly undertaken
by Harshad Chavda. Under his supervision, volunteers and craftsmen at
the Sanstha's workshops in Pindwada and surrounding villages worked day
and night to meet the demanding schedules.
On the mandir construction site, the sculpted marble stone were assembled
under the guidance of the project's chief engineer, Ashwin Patel, Dharmavatsal
Swami and Atmakirti Swami.
To enhance the beauty of the mandir, Swamishri had made a priceless suggestion
to build a parikrama or colonnade around its perimeter. This was built
out of red stone from Rajasthan. This feature in itself was a big project
and was completed on time by the efforts of Yogesh Swami and his team
of volunteers and craftsmen based at Secundra near Jaipur in Rajasthan.
With less than 15 days remaining before the pratishtha, anyone seeing
the site would have thought it impossible that everything would be completed
on time.
And to add to the problems, New Delhi's erratic weather hindered more
than helped. The biting cold, heavy fog and frequent rain showers interfered
with the best of plans.
But, however, as the auspicious day drew nearer, Swamishri's frequent
words of encouragement inspired all work with maximum vigour. Finally,
with the divine blessings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the Gunatit Gurus
the entire construction was completed on time.
With many devotees expected to arrive from UK, USA, Africa and other countries,
Swamishri arrived in New Delhi late at night on 31 January, still recovering
from his recent illness.
With the inclement weather the sadhus prayed to Swamishri for a change
in weather so that final preparations for the celebrations could be completed.
Swamishri smiled and said, "From tomorrow Maharaj will make everything
fine."
And sure enough, the following day, the clouds were nowhere in sight and
the sun shone brightly in the morning sky.
With favourable weather, the pace of work quickened and everything was
ready for the celebrations. Over 250 sadhus and 7000 devotees from throughout
India and abroad were expected to attend the 2-day celebrations.
On 3 February 2003, at 6.45 a.m. Swamishri performed the traditional Vedic
worship of the kalashes and flagstaffs to be placed on the pinnacles of
the mandir. Swamishri also performed the Vedic worship of the painted
murtis of Akshar Purushottam and Radha Krishna to be installed in the
old mandir in place of the current marble murtis, which would now be transferred
to the new mandir.
On the following pages we describe the prasad-pravesh, yagna, procession,
diksha and murti-pratishtha celebrations.
SHRI SWAMINARAYAN
MANDIR, NEW DELHI
Mandir
- Height: 60 ft. Width: 82 ft. Length:
174 ft.
- Shikhars (pinnacles): 7
- Ghummat (domes): 9
- Sthambhs (pillars): 96
- Murtis in pradakshina (of sadhus and
devotees): 35
- Torans (arches): 90
- Podium size: 60 ft. wide x 40 ft. long
- Assembly hall (under podium): 60 ft.
x 40 ft.
- Parikrama (colonnade): 590 ft. in length;
118 pillars; 10 mini-domes
Other Buildings
- Swamishri's and sadhus' residence
- Volunteers' residence
- Kitchens and dining areas
- Pilgrims' residence
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