25 years ago, on July 2, 2001, the foundation and platform work of the Akshardham temple on the eastern bank of the Yamuna was completed. His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed the sacred Vedic rituals and the first carved stone of Swaminarayan Akshardham was laid in New Delhi. With this, an everlasting journey of faith, devotion, culture and service began with a sacred stone. A sacred beginning that continues to inspire millions of people around the world.
And four years later, the temple opened to the people of Delhi and the rest of the world. In the two decades since then, it has become one of the signature places of Delhi. Apart from being a major pilgrimage site, it is also counted among the largest architectural monuments of the city, whose size is equal to Humayun’s Tomb and Jama Masjid.
Akshardham, a wonderful symbol of faith and architecture
This complex built on the banks of the river is dedicated to the 19th century ascetic Lord Swaminarayan. Made of pink sandstone and white marble, this temple has 20,000 carved figures, along with many other special things.
It houses a 108-foot statue of Lord Swaminarayan in his childish ascetic form in the form of Neelkanth Varni. Unveiled three months ago, the bronze statue stands with hands raised in devotion, a rosary in one hand.
Akshardham Memories
2 July 2001, New Delhi
A SACRED BEGINNING
Laying the Foundation of a
Spiritual & Cultural LandmarkRelive those moments:https://t.co/8Ni5HcWETLhttps://t.co/OLgWadHgcp
On this day in 2001, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed the sacred pic.twitter.com/AaCr0ClRZz
— Swaminarayan Akshardham – New Delhi (@DelhiAkshardham) July 3, 2026
This statue frames the temple from a distance, giving a spectacular view of the complex. Akshardham Temple also reminds us that the grand temple architecture of Delhi is largely modern. Unlike Banaras or Bhubaneswar, there are no old temples left in our city with their original architecture intact.
One reason for this is Delhi’s long history under successive Islamic dynasties, from the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate in 1206 to the end of Mughal rule in 1857. Those eventful centuries have left the city filled with an architectural landscape adorned with forts, mosques, mausoleums and Sufi shrines.
Delhi’s temples become centers of faith
In fact, most of the architecturally magnificent temples of Delhi were built in the last century. Perhaps the most beautiful temple among them is the first Shri Lakshmi Narayan Temple built on the road, also known as the Birla Temple. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, it combines magnificent architecture with a deep sense of place and peace.
This historic temple built by the Birla family was opened by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939 in the presence of Jugal Kishore Birla, whose statue is in the temple gardens of Indraprastha Dharmavatika. The prayer hall of the temple is at once magnificent and private. The parikrama goes through a gallery which has marble panels with pictures of deities, as well as poems written by saint poets like Mirabai.
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Another special temple in terms of architecture is Shri Jagannath Temple near Green Park Market. Built in the 1970s, this temple is dedicated to Lord Jagannath. Completely white in colour, it shines brightly in the summer sky.
The last major temple with monumental architecture built in Delhi in the 20th century was the ISKCON temple in East of Kailash. This temple with three tall minarets made of brown Dholpur stone and white marble was completed two years before the end of the century. As far as Akshardham temple is concerned, its most spectacular view is seen from the highway near Noida turn in the evening, when the sun is seen hanging behind the spire of the temple for some time.
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