The Gujarati Hindu Swaminarayan Group’s Akshardham Temple (akshardham.com; entry free, adult/child exhibit pass ₹260/160, water show ₹110/80), built in 2005, is breathtakingly lavish. Artisans used ancient techniques to carve the pale red sandstone into elaborate reliefs, including 20,000 deities, saints and mythical creatures. The centerpiece is a 3m-high gold statue of Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan surrounded by more fabulously intricate carvings.
The exhibitions ticket includes a narrated boat ride that takes visitors through 10,000 years of Indocentric history, a similar animatronic experience and a film about the early life of Swaminarayan. Soon after sunset, a water fountain show brings all the spectacle to a climactic finale every day of the week except for Monday, when the temple is closed.
Visiting the temple is more of a theme-park experience than a spiritual one, such are the tourist crowds and the security, but the architecture of the main buildings and the artisanship in their carvings is exceptional. A shame, then, that you cannot take photographs. Electronics (including phones and cameras) are prohibited, but there's a secure cloakroom at the entrance. There are snack and water vendors within the complex and a huge outdoor food court near the exit. The temple is in Delhi’s eastern suburbs, but just 200m walk from the Akshardham metro station.
