Akshardham (Delhi)- New architectural Wonder of India

Akshardham is a Hindu temple complex in Delhi, India. It was inaugurated in November 2005 by the President of India, Abdul Kalam, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS - the organization responsible for the creation of Akshardham. Sitting on the banks of the Yamuna River, adjacent to the proposed Commonwealth Games village, the complex features a large monument, crafted entirely of stone, permanent exhibitions on Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Hinduism, an IMAX cinema, musical fountain, and large landscaped gardens.

The Mandir

The main building at the centre of the complex is a 141ft high monument to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Designed according to ancient Vedic texts known as the Sthapatya-Shastra, it features a blend of architecutral styles from across India. Within the monument, under the central dome, there is an 11ft high, gilded image of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. He is surrounded by the guru's of the sect. The building itself is constructed entirely from Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble, and features no steel or concrete. It's height and location on the banks of the Yamuna mean its presence is felt from afar, and its carved details of flora, fauna, dancers, musicians and deities covering its surfaces from top to bottom, leave most visitors in awe.

The Exhibitions

Hall 1, named 'Sahajanand Pradarshan', features life-like robotics, dioramas, and incidents from Bhagwan Swaminarayan's life, portraying his message of peace, harmony, humility, service to others and devotion to God. The hall features the worlds smallest animatronic robot in the form of Ghanshyam Maharaj, the child form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.


Hall 2, named 'Nilkanth Kalyan Yatra', houses Delhi's first and only large format screen. The theatre shows a movie specially commissioned for the complex that shows the journey Bhagwan Swaminarayan made during his teenage years across the length and breadth of India. An international version of the film was released in 2005 at IMAX and Giant Screen cinemas worldwide under the title 'Mystic India'.


Hall 3, named Sanskruti Vihar, takes visitors on a journey through 10,000 years of Indian history in 10 minutes. Visitors sit in specially designed peacock boats that make their way around an artificial river, passing the worlds first university, chemistry laboratories, ancient hospitals and bazaars, finally ending with a message for the future of India.

The Yagnapurush Kund

The Yagnapurush Kund is India's largest step well. It features a very large series of steps down to a traditional 'yagna kund'. During the day, these steps provide rest for the visitors to the complex and at night, a musical fountain show representing the circle of life is played to an audience which is seated on the same steps.

The Bharat Upavan

The Bharat Upavan, or 'Garden of India', has lush manicured lawns, trees and shrubs, dotted with bronze sculptures of contributors to India's culture, including Children of India, Women of India, and Heroes of India.

The Yogi Hraday Kamal

This sunken garden, shaped like a lotus when viewed from above features large stones engraved with quotes from world luminaries ranging from Shakespeare and Martin Luther King, to Swami Vivekananda and Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

Creator

Swaminarayan Akshardham was created by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). It was created under his guidance after his guru Yogiji Maharaj expressed a wish for the construction of the complex. As well as Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Delhi, he has created international cultural complexes like Swaminarayan Akshardham, Ghandhinagar (India), The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London (England) (Popularly known as the Neasden Temple), and similar temples in Houston TX, Chicago IL, Atlanta GA, Los Angeles CA, Toronto (Canada)and Nairobi (Kenya). His role as spiritual leader means he constantly travels and meets people throughout the world with an aim to helping them lead better lives.

Upon the opening of the complex in November 2005, Pramukh Swami Maharaj expressed the following wish:

“In this Akshardham, may one and all find inspiration to mould their lives and may there lives become divine. Such is my prayer to God.” ~Shastri Narayanswarupdas (Pramukh Swami) Inspirer and & Creator of Akshardham.

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (of whom Pramukh Swami Maharaj is the leader) is an international social, spiritual and charitable NGO affiliated with the United Nations. Through its 9000 centers, 750 sadhus (or monks), 55,000 volunteers and over 1,000,000 followers, BAPS performs over a 160 humanitarian activities. Akshardham is a part of BAPS's culture and educational activities to promote Indian art, culture, and values. BAPS also has a charitable arm, known as BAPS Car

The Mahabodhi Temple (Literally: "Great Awakening Temple")

The Mahabodhi Temple (Literally: "Great Awakening Temple") is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is located about 96 km (60 miles) from Patna, Bihar state, India. Next to the temple, to its western side, is the holy Bodhi tree. In the Pali Canon, the site is called Bodhimanda, and the monastery there the Bodhimanda Vihara.
Buddhist legends concerning the site of the Mahabodhi Temple

The site of the Bodhi tree at Bodhigaya is, according to the Buddhist commentarial scriptures, the same for all Buddhas. According to the Jatakas, it forms the navel of the earth, and no other place can support the weight of the Buddha's attainment.

When no Bodhi tree grows at the site, the Bodhimanda (ground round the Bodhi-tree), for a distance of one royal karīsa, is devoid of all plants, even of any blade of grass, and is quite smooth, spread with sand like a silver plate, while all around it are grass, creepers and trees. None can travel in the air immediately above it, not even SakkaJ.iv.232f.

In the case of Gautama Buddha, his Bodhi tree sprang up on the day he was born.

Rise of Buddhism

Traditional accounts say that, around 530 BC, Gautama Buddha, wandering as a monk, reached the sylvan banks of Falgu River, near the city of Gaya, India. There he sat in meditation under a peepul tree (Ficus religiosa or Sacred Fig), which later became known as the Bodhi tree. According to Buddhist scriptures, after three days and three nights, Siddharta attained enlightenment and the answers that he had sought. Mahabodhi Temple was built to mark that location.

The Buddha then spent the succeeding seven weeks at seven different spots in the vicinity meditating and considering his experience. Several specific places at the current Mahabodhi Temple relate to the traditions surrounding these seven weeks:

* The first week was spent under the Bodhi tree.
* During the second week, the Buddha remained standing and stared, uninterrupted, at the Bodhi tree. This spot is marked by the Animeshlocha Stupa, that is, the unblinking stupa or shrine, which is located on the north-east of the Mahabodhi Temple complex. There stands a statute of Buddha with his eyes fixed towards the Bodhi tree.
* The Buddha is said to have walked back and forth between the location of the Animeshlocha Stupa and the Bodhi tree. According to legend, lotus flowers sprung up along this route, it is now called Ratnachakarma or the jewel walk.

In approximately 250 BC, about 250 years after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, Buddhist Emperor Asoka visited Bodh Gaya with the intention of establishing a monastery and shrine. As part of the temple he built, the diamond throne (called the Vajrasana), attempting to mark the exact spot of the Buddha's enlightenment, was established. Asoka is considered the founder of the Mahabodhi Temple.

Buddhism declined when the dynasties patronizing it declined, following White Hun and the early Islamic invasions such as that of Muhammad bin Qasim. A strong revival occurred under the Pala Empire in the northeast of the subcontinent (where the temple is situated). Mahayana Buddhism flourished under the Palas between the 8th and the 12th century. However, after the defeat of the Palas by the Hindu Sena dynasty, Buddhism's position again began to erode and became nearly extinct in India. During the 12th century AD, Bodh Gaya and the nearby regions were invaded by Muslim armies. During this period, the Mahabodhi Temple fell into disrepair and was largely abandoned. During the 16th century, a Hindu monastery was established near Bodh Gaya. Over the following centuries, the monastery's abbot or mahant became the area's primary landholder and claimed ownership of the Mahabodhi Temple grounds.

In the 1880s, the-then British government of India began to restore Mahabodhi Temple under the direction of Sir Alexander Cunningham. A short time later, in 1891, the Sri Lankan Buddhist leader Anagarika Dharmapala started a campaign to return control of the temple to Buddhists, over the objections of the mahant. The campaign was partially successful in 1949, when control passed from the Hindu mahant to the state government of Bihar, which established a temple management committee. The committee has nine members, a majority of whom, including the chairman, must by law be Hindus. Mahabodhi's first head monk under the management committee was Anagarika Munindra, a Bengali man who had been an active member of the Maha Bodhi Society.


Mahabodhi Temple's central tower rise to 55 meters, and were heavily renovated in the 19th century. The central tower is surrounded by four smaller towers, constructed in the same style.

The Mahabodhi Temple is surrounded on all four sides by stone railings, about two metres high. The railings reveal two distinct types, both in style as well as the materials used. The older ones, made of sandstone, date to about 150 BC, and the others, constructed from unpolished coarse granite, are believed to be of the Gupta period (300 CE – 600 CE). The older railings have scenes such as Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, being bathed by elephants; and Surya, the Hindu sun god, riding a chariot drawn by four horses. The newer railings have figures of stupas (reliquary shrines) and garudas (eagles). Images of lotus flowers also appear

Mahabodhi Temple is claimed as property of state government of Bihar, part of India. Under the terms of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949, the state government makes itself responsible for the protection, management, and monitoring of temple and its properties. The Act also has provisions for a Temple Management Committee, along with an advisory Board, which consists of the governor of Bihar state and twenty to twenty-five other members, half of them from foreign Buddhist countries.

The Temple Management Committee is the executive body for management of the Mahabodhi Temple and certain adjoining areas. The TMC functions under the supervision, direction, and control of the state government of Bihar.

In June 2002, the Mahabodhi Temple became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, specifically nominated for the international World heritage program.

All finds of religious artifacts in the area are legally protected under the Treasure Trove Act of 1878.

The Delhi Fort also known as Lal Qil'ah, or Lal Qila, meaning the Red Fort, located in Delhi, India is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in the Delhi site. He moved his capital from Agra in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and to provide ample opportunity to apply his ambitious building schemes and interests. The Red Fort stands at the eastern edge of Shahjahanabad, and gets its name from the massive wall of red sandstone that defines its four sides. The wall is 1.5 miles (2.5 km) long, and varies in height from 60ft (16m) on the river side to 110 ft (33 m) towards the city. Measurements have shown that the plan was generated using a square grid of 82 m.

The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. The wall at its north-eastern corner is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh, a defense built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546. Construction on the Red Fort began in 1638 and was complete by 1648. But it is believed that it is The Ancient City of Lal Kot which was captured by Shahjahan since Lal Kot literally means Red(Lal) Fort(Kot). lal Kot was the capital city of Prithviraj Chauhan in the late 12th century

On 11 March 1783 Sikhs entered Red fort in Delhi and occupied the Diwan-i-Am. The city was essentially surrendered by the Mughal wazir in cahoots with his Sikh Allies. This task was carried out under the command of the Sardar Baghel Singh Dhaliwal of the Karor Singhia misl.

(Sardar Baghel Singh Dhaliwal on the third of his 3 campaigns to conquer Delhi.)

The Red Fort was conceived as a whole, and subsequent modifications have not taken away from the overall unity of the scheme. In the 18th century, however, occupiers and looters damaged some sections of the palace. After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, when the Fort was used as a headquarters, the British army occupied and destroyed many of its pavilions and gardens. A program for restoring the surviving parts of the fort began in 1903.


The walls of the fort are smoothly dressed, articulated by heavy string-courses along the upper section. They open at two major gates, the Delhi and the Lahore gates. The Lahore Gate is the main entrance; it leads to a long covered bazaar street, the Chatta Chowk, whose walls are lined with stalls for shops. The Chatta Chowk leads to a large open space where it crosses the large north-south street that was originally the division between the fort's military functions, to its west, and the palaces, to its east. The southern end of this street is the Delhi Gate. On axis with the Lahore gate and the Chatta Chowk, on the eastern side of the open space, is the Naqqar Khana ("drum house"), the main gate for the palace, named for the musicians' gallery above it. Beyond this gate is another, larger open space, which originally served as the courtyard of the Diwan-i-Am, the large pavilion for public imperial audiences. An ornate throne-balcony for the emperor stands at the center of the eastern wall of the Diwan, conceived as a copy of the throne of Solomon.

The imperial private apartments lie behind the throne. The apartments consist of a row of pavilions that sits on a raised platform along the eastern edge of the fort, looking out onto the river Yamuna. The pavilions are connected by a continuous water channel, known as the Nahr-i-Behisht, or the Stream of Paradise, that runs through the center of each pavilion. The water is drawn from the river Yamuna, from a tower, the Shah Burj, at the northeastern corner of the fort. The palace is designed as an imitation of paradise as it is described in the Koran; a couplet repeatedly inscribed in the palace reads, "If there be a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here". The planning of the palace is based on Islamic prototypes, but each pavilion reveals in its architectural elements the Hindu influences typical of Mughal building. The palace complex of the Red Fort is counted among the best examples of the Mughal style at its Shah Jahani peak.


The two southernmost pavilions of the palace are zenanas, or women's quarters: the Mumtaz Mahal (now a museum), and the larger, lavish Rang Mahal, which has been remarked for its gilded, decorated ceiling and marble pool, fed by the Nahr-i-Behisht. The third pavilion from the south, the Khas Mahal, contains the imperial chambers. These include a suite of bedrooms, prayer rooms, a veranda, and the Mussaman Burj, a tower built against the fortress walls, from which the emperor would show himself to the people in a daily ceremony. The next pavilion is the Diwan-i-Khas, the lavishly decorated hall of private audience, used for ministerial and court gatherings. This finest of the pavilions is ornamented with floral pietra dura patterns on the columns, with precious stones and gilding. A painted wooden ceiling has replaced the original one, of silver inlaid with gold.

The next pavilion contains the hammam, or baths, in the Turkish style, with Mughal ornamentation in marble and colored stones. To the west of the hammam is the Moti Masjid, the Pearl Mosque. This was a later addition, built in 1659 as a private mosque for Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan's successor. It is a small, three-domed mosque in carved white marble, with a three-arched screen which steps down to the courtyard.

To its north lies a large formal garden, the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh, or 'Life-Bestowing Garden', which is cut through by two bisecting channels of water. A pavilion stands at either end of the north-south channel, and a third, built in 1842 by the last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, stands at the center of the pool where the two channels meet.

The iron pillar in Delhi: A miracle

In the courtyard of the Quwwatu'l-Islam mosque stands the famous iron pillar, which bears a Sanskrit inscription in Gupta script, assignable to the 4th century. The inscription records that the pillar was set up as a standard or dhvaja of god Vishnu on the hill known as 'Vishnupada', in the memory of a mighty king, named 'Chandra', who is now regarded as identical with Chandragupta II (375-413) of the imperial Gupta dynasty. The base of the pillar is knobby, with small pieces of iron tying it to its foundations, and a lead sheet covers the portion concealed below the present floor-level.

According to the British historian Percival Spear, there was a statue attached to the pillar but he failed to identify it. Dr Munish Chandra, former additional director-general of ASI and noted scholar claims that the attached statue was that of Vishnu which the Muslim invaders destroyed.

The total length of this slightly tapering shaft is 23 feet 8 inches in length and its diameter varies from 12.5 inches at the top to 16.4 inches on the ground. The metal of the pillar has been found to be almost pure malleable iron. Its portion below the ground shows some signs of rusting, but at a very slow rate. The manufacture of such a massive iron pillar, which has not deteriorated much during seventeen hundred years of its existence, is a standing testimony to the metallurgical skill of ancient Indians.

A traditional belief says that the mighty Bheem (the mythological strongman of the Mahabharata) lifted the pillar with his right hand and impaled it in the ground. With this myth is also attached a legend that any one who can encircle the entire column will have their wish granted. However, it is fenced off from tourists so as to avoid any damage.

Remains of a great empire - Vijayanagar

The first time most Indians not living within a few hundred miles of Hampi first heard of the site was probably in the late '80s when the group of monuments was added to Unesco's World Heritage list. Both the international body's watch over it, and the lackadaisical approach of Indian tourists still besotted with boating in Ooty or watching the waters meet in Kanyakumari on their trip to South India, have been responsible for letting Hampi 'just be'.

Thankfully. The 14th century ruins - "among the most extraordinary constructions of India," says the Unesco report - nestle within them almost every highlight of classical Indian architecture.

Palaces, temples, marketplaces, watch towers, stables, baths and monoliths lie scattered amidst enormous boulders, which complement the rugged look and historic feel of the place. To complete the calendar look is the Tungabhadra river, its flow providing a much-needed sense of movement in the ambience that has remained frozen in time for long.

Built as the capital of the Vijaynagar empire, Hampi has all the elements that would make any royal proud of his abode. Horses, elephants and dancing girls carved in stone, musical pillars, cusped arches, a lotus-shaped fountain, a stepped water tank, an underground chamber, a massive chariot.

The ruins that speckle about 25 sq km area elicit exclamations after every short distance. The Virupaksha Temple has a nine-tiered 50-metre gopuram. The Vithala temple has 56 stone pillars that produce musical notes when tapped. Then there is the 6.7 mt Narasimha monolith.

The jewels may have been plundered, the city abandoned a couple of hundred years after it was founded, but the grandeur of the last Vijayanagar capital has to be seen to be believed. Even now.

Love in marble - Rabindranath Tagore called the Taj 'a tear drop upon the cheek of time.

What can be said about the Taj Mahal that hasn't already been said? Ever since it was unveiled to the world, almost four centuries ago, praise for the marbled wonder has never ceased.

Shah Jahan, himself, in his Badshahnama, wrote that the sight of its beauty 'creates sorrowing sighs and makes the sun and moon shed tears from their eyes.'

Other poets, writers and artists too outdid themselves, when it came to speaking about the Taj. Rabindranath Tagore, for instance called it 'a tear drop upon the cheek of time.'

The British painter Hodges compared it to 'a perfect pearl on an azure ground - with an effect so dazzling that no other work of art can ever produce.' Even the otherwise reticent Rudyard Kipling found it to be 'an embodiment of all things pure.'

So, what makes the Taj so universally appealing? When Shah Jahan conceptualised it, he wanted his monument to be unique. And, his architects did not let him down. The main marble tomb stands on a square plinth, with four minarets on each corner of the plinth, giving it a symmetrical design.

The minarets, in fact, have been so designed that in an earthquake, they will fall away from the tomb and not on it. The surface of the tomb has been extensively decorated with exquisite calligraphs.

However, what adds to Taj's beauty, many feel, is not just its physical perfectness but also the story behind it - of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, which gives that extra touch of romance to the monument. Maybe it is this diversity, in which lies the beauty of Taj — to be different things to different people, yet still be beautiful to all.

Taj Voted as New Seven Wonder

See the Report

The iron pillar in Delhi: A miracle

The iron pillar next to the Qutab Minar in Delhi has been the centre of attraction for metallurgists from all over the world. For nearly 1600 years, it has been standing undaunted under the open skies, during all type of weather conditions. In so many years, it has not rusted; this has been a matter of surprise for the world.

As far as the question of it history is concerned, it was made in the 4th century. According to the Sanskrit inscription on it, it was set up as a flag post in front of the temple of Lord Vishnu on the Vishnu mountain in Mathura by Chandra Raj. It may have been made to place Garuda on top of it. That is why it is also called the Garuda pillar. It was brought to Delhi in 1050 by Anang Pal, the founder of Delhi.

The pillar is 735.5 cms tall, of which 50 cms is below the earth and 45 cms is in the stone platform around it. It has a circumference of 41.6 cms at the base, and 30.4 cms above. It might once have a statue of Garuda on top of it. The total weight of the pillar is 6096 kg. A chemical examination in 1961 showed that the pillar is made of surprisingly good quality steel and contains much less carbon in comparison to the steel of today. Dr. B.B.Lal, the chief chemist of Indian Archaeological Survey has conclude that the pillar is made by joining 20-30 kgs of hot iron pieces. It is believed to have been manufactured in 15 days by 120 workers. The fact that 1600 years ago the technique of joining pieces of hot iron, was known to us, is a matter of amazement by itself because not a single joint can be seen in the whole pillar. The fact that despite remaining in the open, and weathering it out for 16 centuries, it has not rusted, has amazed expert scientists. It has more of phosphorous and less of sulphur and manganese. Large quantities of slug by itself or collectively increases resistance to rust. Besides this, a 50-600 micron (1 micron=1000th part of 1mm) thick layer of oxide also protects the pillar from rusting.

3. Mercury— Until the 17th century, the Europeans did not know what mercury was. Hence in documents of the French Government, it was called quick silver—another kind of silver because it shone and could move from one place to another. The government also made a law that those Indian medicines which contained mercury, could be used only by specialists.

In India, people not only knew about mercury, they were using it on a large-scale in pharmaceuticals also for thousands of years. Al Baruni was the first foreigner who stayed for a long time in India in the 11th century. He had, written in detail, in his book, about how to manufacture mercury and how to use it, and acquainted the world with it. We shall discuss how to purify mercury when we discuss chemistry, but it is believed that Nagarjuna, who was born in 1000 AD, knew how to make gold with mercury. What is surprising is that he chose mercury, and not any other metal, to convert it into gold. Modern science says that a metal is produced on the basis of the number of protons in an atom of a metal and it is amazing that while there are 80 protons and electrons in Mercury, in gold there are 79 protons and electrons.

4. Gold-Silver— A. Delmar, in his book A History of Precious Metals—1902, New York, says that there are two islands named Chryse an Agyre at the origin of the River Sindhu, where particles of gold and silver can be found in the soil of the entire land.

The 7th mantra of the 61st sookta of the 6th division of the Rigveda names the Saraswati and Sindhu (Indus) as Hiranyavartani, that is gold.

Gold and silver are mentioned in the scriptures like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagwat Gita, Raghuvansh, Kumar Sambhava, etc. The tradition of using, gold ash, for medicinal purpose has been prevalent in India for centuries.

Similarly, we find references of the use of gold, copper and lead in the Atharvaveda, Rasa Tarangini, Rasayan saar, Skukra Neeti, Aashwalayan grihyasootra, and Manusmriti. In the Rasaratnsamuchhay Granth, the process of making the ash of many metals and using them to cure various diseases, is given in detail. This shows that metallurgy had developed in India in ancient times and used in various ways for the welfare of man.

Kerala’s Dhatu Darpan
When Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi went to a place called Aaranmuda, in Pattanam Titta district of Kerala, he found that the families there knew the technique of preparing mirrors from metal by hand. When he showed these to his friends in the science committee, they could not believe that they could have been made by hand and not by machine, and that for ages, they were being exported from India. We never tell our students that such a technique is present in India, and despite the fact that these people live in poverty, they are not prepared to leave it for fear that this traditional art might vanish. The country must take care of such people.

Aeronautics
It is generally believed today that man’s dream of flying like birds was fulfilled when the Wright Brothers made the aeroplane on December 17, 1903 and that aeronautics is the west’s gift to the world. There is no doubt that this knowledge has made tremendous progress but during the Mahabharata period, and even before that, it had been developed in India too. Not just aeroplanes, cities too had been created in space. A number of references to this have been found in the Indian texts. In explaining the meaning, of the 1st mantra of the 36th sookta of the Rigveda, Vidyavachaspati Pandit Madhusudan Saraswati in his book, Indra Vijay says that the Ribhus had made a three-wheeled chariot, which could fly in space. In the Puranas, the various Gods, and Goddesses, the Yakshas, etc. travelled by air. The Tripurasur, that is the three demon brothers had constructed three invincible cities in space. They could commute between earth, water and sky. They were destroyed by Shiva. The Ramayana has reference to the Pushpak Viman. In the Mahabharata, the plains of Sri Krishna and Jaraasandh are mentioned. Bhagwat also refers to Sage Kardam, who because of his penance, could not pay attention to his wife. When he realised it, he took her in his aircraft and showed her the entire universe.

When today’s experimenting and logical person reads or hears this, he naturally thinks that they are all fantasies and imaginations to entertain human beings. It is natural to get such thoughts because no books or ancients remnants have been found to prove the fact that these planes were present in ancient times and that people knew the technique of building them.