I happened to be scrolling on Instagram when I saw a mutual friend’s post – she was standing in a plaza with a large, detailed, white temple directly behind her. This particular friend shares posts about her travels often, so I wasn’t surprised to see she was sightseeing at another temple, which I had presumed to be somewhere in South Asia.
She had tagged the location, and that’s when I saw it: Robbinsville, New Jersey! I was shocked, and I genuinely thought she was making a meme out of New Jersey… but to my surprise, it was all real. A massively beautiful complex filled with Hindu relics and architecture only an hour away from New York. I had to go see it.
At first, I did minimal research. Typically, when I find a prospective experience exciting, like an attraction, movie, or restaurant, I do as little research as possible on purpose, just to not spoil any fun.
I met my younger brother, a resident of New Jersey, the day after discovering the temple, and naturally I asked if he had heard anything about it. He replied “yes, I think it was just recently opened to the public, and it looks crazy!” I agreed. He went on, “But I heard there were controversies over slavery and labor abuse.”
Okay, what?
At this point, I had to dig further before stepping foot near Robbinsville, because my brother just mentioned literal slavery.
About the Temple
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is the largest Hindu temple in the United States, and one of the largest in the world, second only to Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat transitioned from originally a Hindu temple to Buddhist in the 12th century… So technically, BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is the largest actively practicing Hindu temple in the world. It begs the question – why is it in New Jersey, let alone the Western Hemisphere?
Constructed from 2011-2023, Akshardham and the surrounding BAPS campus is 185 acres in total, and includes 10,000 statues, innumerable carvings of ancient Indian art, and water from holy rivers of India. The temple’s design contains one main shrine, 12 sub-shrines, 9 shikhars (spire-like traditional Hindu architecture), and 9 pyramidal shikhars.
2 million cubic feet of stone was used in the construction of Akshardham, and sourced from different sites around the world. The majority of stones used were limestone, marble, granite, and sandstone. 12,500 volunteers dedicated millions of hours on the construction of the temple (more on them later).
Who are BAPS?
According to their website, BAPS “is a volunteer-driven spiritual organization committed to fostering individual growth through Hindu values of faith, service, and harmony.” Founded by a man named Bhagwan Swaminarayan in the 19th century, BAPS has approximately 2.5 million active members from across America and the world, and these communities “champion holistic personal growth, promote social progress, and encourage diversity by embracing inclusivity across class, race, gender, and culture.” BAPS has an active global charity that provides environmental sustainability, disaster relief, blood drive, and free vaccination efforts.
The construction of the complex in Robbinsville was allegedly manifested from the vision of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual leader of the BAPS denomination. Robbinsville was likely chosen due to New Jersey’s large Hindu population and its relatively close proximity to New York City.
Here’s their website for more information on the construction of the temple complex as well as BAPS’ organization.
The Controversy
Robbinsville Township’s official website has stated the following:
“A lawsuit in federal court accused the leaders of BAPS of luring and exploiting people from India to work on the project, paying them little and housing them in trailers tucked away on the property in Robbinsville.”
The lawsuit also alleges that laborers were lured to America with false premises, lied to about the work they would be completing, stripped of their visas at the airport, and forced to work daily from 6:30am to 7:30pm at a fixed rate of $1.20 per hour. Read the entire article here.
BAPS responds that these Indian nationals are not forced laborers but instead, enthusiastic volunteers and devotees to their sect’s cause. As you’ll read, this response to the allegations is echoed in rhetoric shown at the temple and campus grounds itself.
The lawsuit is still ongoing, and no criminal charges have been brought. Also ongoing is the construction of the religious attraction itself – although Akshardham is open to the public, they are still completing construction on the grounds as of late 2024.
With this information in mind, I headed over to Robbinsville to see everything for myself… and my mom came along with me!
What to Know Before Visiting
Here are a few important pieces of information for those looking to visit the temple grounds in Robbinsville:
- Entry to the campus and temple are completely free, but there are many donation boxes around for those who want to contribute.
- Reservation is required only for weekends and religious events, and they are closed on Tuesdays. Every other weekday they are open and no reservations required. Hours are 9:00 am – 7:30 pm.
- This is a religious destination as well as tourist site, and as such, BAPS has a strict dress code. Tops must cover shoulders, back, chest, navel, and upper arms. Leg-wear must be at least below the knees.
- Shoes must be taken off inside religious buildings, so I recommend wearing socks.
- No pictures are allowed inside the temple and other places of worship
- A visit on the campus takes around 2 hours to complete.
Without further ado, let’s delve into the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham journey:
The Experience
The temple campus was a straight shot down the New Jersey Turnpike, and as we pulled into the parking lot, we could see the grand structure in the distance. The parking lot was packed; we had to drive around for about 10 minutes before finding a spot.
At the campus entrance, there’s the Nilkanth Plaza containing a 49 ft golden sculpture of a young boy in a yoga pose (a young Bhagwan Swaminarayan nicknamed Nilkanth Varni), as well as rows of sandstone-carved pavilions. We haven’t even entered the main campus, mind you, and already there were outstanding views and rich religious artwork.
Directly behind the Nilkanth Plaza is the Brahma Kund, a traditional Indian stepped pond, which BAPS boasts contains water from all over the world, including India’s 108 holy rivers. This pond was simply stunning and, in my opinion, one of the best parts about the campus.
Walking around the Brahma Kund naturally leads you to the Welcome Center, which is beautifully designed, full of carved wood, detailed arches, and colorful panels. Another golden sculpture is situated within the walls of the Welcome Center, and the building is bristling with tourists and workers.
Entry to BAPS is completely free, and, if interested, you can grab a free guided tour of the campus at the top of every hour. I recommend a guided tour to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of BAPS’ history and beliefs or just wants to understand important cultural Hindu symbolism – because honestly, without a guide, the temple feels a little too detailed and overwhelming for those unfamiliar with BAPS or Hinduism.
Once through the Welcome Center, you are officially inside the heart of the campus – a large courtyard – with breathtaking sights at every turn. Pillars of intricately detailed architecture, bursting with designs of thousands of people and relics can be seen here. Tourists from both America and beyond were exploring the temple grounds, and I noticed that this attraction must be a Chinese favorite; multiple groups of Chinese tourists had asked me to take pictures for them!
The first stop once at the courtyard is just steps away from the Welcome Center – a Traditional Hindu Mandir. This is an actual place of worship for practicing Hindus, so make sure to be respectful when entering this space. This mandir gives a taste of what is to come inside Akshardham – a glistening stone-carved interior, an insane amount of detailed columns, and golden, well-lit statues.
After visiting the mandir, I recommend spending some time sitting in the main courtyard before entering Akshardham. It’s a really peaceful space with plenty of outdoor views and benches, allowing you to soak in the temple’s magnificent, imposing, and picturesque exterior.
Inside Akshardham
Upon walking toward Akshardham, you’ll notice the outer walls are all extremely detailed, with multiple plaques commending important figures to both BAPS, Hinduism, and beyond… I saw plinths for both Einstein and Martin Luther King Jr! It’s clear the emphasis on nonviolence, peace, purity, and personal growth prevails on the temple walls.
Inside, construction was still ongoing on the ground floor. After taking your shoes off and placing them on a communal shoe rack, you are guided by workers along a long hallway which is covered by temporary walls full of facts about Akshardham’s construction.
It is here where my mom mentioned something was off. Many of the temporary panels and signs repeatedly showcased “our loyal devotees” or “our outstanding volunteers”. Were we tainted by reading about the lawsuit and assuming BAPS were praising the laborers for good optics? Or was BAPS simply giving credit to the recorded 4.7 million person-hours worked by artisans and disciples of the denomination? One thing is certain – without their skilled artists and volunteers, BAPS would not exist in the grand way that it does.
Back to Akshardham. You are led upstairs to the second floor, which is fully furnished and completed. BAPS describe the temple as the following:
“… [Akshardham] embodies the divine abode of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, to whom this campus is dedicated. Made of millions of pieces of hand-carved limestone and marble, Akshardham inspires all to connect to the divine, and embark on a journey of spiritual exploration, expression, and personal growth.”
Words will not do Akshardham’s interior justice. It’s like a maze of marble and gold. You can get lost looking up at the elaborate ceiling. Every turn there are millions of detailed carvings. Elephants, religious figures, lotus flowers, and more. Golden statues smile back at you. People stop to worship. A labyrinth of endless artistry. It’s so well made that it doesn’t seem hand-crafted. Everything about the temple is breathtaking and dizzying and inspiring and overwhelming. Akshardham, without a doubt, is a massive feat of architecture.
Final Thoughts
After exiting the temple, all that’s really left to see is the Shayona Cafe, which had a menu of fusion vegetarian Indian and Western cuisines. We ordered a panini, curry with yogurt, and chana masala kathi rolls. The food was made fresh and tasted great!
My mom and I dealt with a lot of the workers at BAPS, just generally by ordering food and being directed, but also due to my mom needing accessibility walking around the temple. Akshardham contains elevators and is wheelchair accessible and workers happily accommodated us.
Those working inside the temple were eager to assist us in almost any capacity. Those working in the kitchen seemed kind and friendly. Those in the welcome center were knowledgeable and took pride in the campus. We didn’t spot any noticeable signs of abuse or unhappiness coming from any person involved on the campus grounds. Let me repeat: the workers seemed happy! Of course, that doesn’t disregard the ongoing allegations towards BAPS, but it did make us feel more at peace about the overall temple experience.
In any case, BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is a marvel of traditional Indian architecture, filled to the brim with ancient Hindu artistry. While shrouded in controversy, it is still worth a visit if you are in the tri-state metropolitan area.
Have you visited BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham? Please let me know about your thoughts and experience in the comments – I would love to hear from you!
