Welcome to the United States of America a land known for boundless opportunities freedom of religion and Rich diversity in this Melting Pot of cultures and beliefs the Indian American Community has thrived enriching the landscape of America with Timeless Hindu Traditions Universal values and a spirit of unity
Over the past 150 years mandirs have risen as beacons of spiritual strength and cultural preservation nurturing Hindu values and traditions in America one such Beacon is the baps Swami Narayan akshardham in Robbinsville New Jersey envisioned by his Holiness and fulfilled under the leadership of his Holiness akshardham stands as an enduring symbol
Of love and unity preserving age-old Traditions while sharing Universal messages of peace hope and harmony for all generations to come join us as we embark on a journey of discovery of the baps swaminarayan akshardham exploring the depth of its spirituality the beauty of its architecture universality of its messages Hello everyone I’m Jamin Rumba and I’m rakhi Patel from The Landmark baps farmer in akshardham in Robbinsville New Jersey to your homes from all around the world welcome to today’s spotlight We’re excited to share event highlights inspirational stories and an in-depth look at the baps so I mean akshardham campus speaking of the campus Rocky did you know that this akshardham will house the largest elliptical Dome constructed from Stone unbelievable and on top of that I hear
Close to 2 million cubic feet of stone sourced from 29 different sites around the world that’s how many were used for the entire akshardham and you know what the most remarkable number is it’s number 12 500. that’s the number of volunteers that helped in taking individual stones and making them into
This landmark of Hindu architecture and culture a landmark and Sacred Space of worship inspired by baps leaders his Holiness and his holiness speaking of inspired let’s get started with our Spotlight today in our first segment let’s take a moment to hear the voices of inspiring Volunteers in today’s voice of volunteers segment um Sorry If my dad was here and I was doing the cinema if my dad was here and he saw me doing the Seva and if I was able to tell him one thing I would tell my dad I am doing the same and I’m doing it for my Guru and Um I’m just happy to be here sorry so one of the main reasons that I wanted to do this was because of my dad and right before my dad passed maybe two three days before he had told me that do as much volunteering Sila that you can do but
Make sure you go for extra damsela and he said make it happen whatever it was but make it happen my name is Poonam Desai I’m from Cincinnati and I’m a site volunteer so the first day again when we came on site we had no idea what Silva
We were going to do they gave us this big drill and they told us you know start making holes in the stones and at first I didn’t think I was going to be able to even carry that you know drill so it started all back home in Cincinnati where the ladies made the
Flowers out of the shelves and then a lot of those shells were all of those flowers were brought here here they’re focusing on the smaller pieces that are left for the panels whether it’s foiling on shells or it’s airbrushing the colors so it started off with you know these
Ladies were coming to this to Monday or every you know every few days um in the evenings and at first we were giving them pasta shells and we were making them take you know pencils and paint brushes and just make lines and circles and I think one of the biggest
Things they always make fun of me for this that when we do save our breath now we I always emphasize on something and so I will say something like two three times and so now whenever they pass even here when they pass by me they’ll be like no some pee some p and
Um I think that kind of brought us all together because we always joke about it but so the what the ladies were doing they were taking the shelves and they were piecing them together and on some of it it needed colors like airbrush and some of it needed gold foiling and then
They just put the shells together and made it into a flower one thing I definitely learned was patience because when things you know came back and we needed to redo things um and remake things whatever it might be just being very patient even you know we’re working with people we’re seeing
Everyone you know seven days a week learning to be patient there too um and that’s something that I can take back in my career that’s something I can take back in my family life so the samples that I’m going to show these are just a few of the pieces that we have
This one you see there is you know three different types of shells being used there’s gold foiling on it there is the shell spray paint airbrush and basically somebody then assembled it together so these decorations are all made out of shelves and when we receive the shells
We first clean them through then they get measured then it’ll go through the process of you know it might be gold foiling on them and it might be you know an airbrush color so they’ll go either or or both of them and then after that they’ll go to the teams that are
Assembling the flowers once those get assembled there’ll be one more cleanup process or a touch-up process and then they get packed up on the very last day when a lot of the shipments were being sent here to Robbinsville we did gerba and outside as you know the bus was getting packed up
Um I think everybody everybody was so happy everybody you know was like finally these things are you know being packed up being sent here um it was a little bit Bittersweet um you know things were finishing up uh there and being sent here but everybody was overall just very happy there was
Very lots of emotions going on at the same time this is a two of the uh mylas I don’t know the way that they were just dressed up we were just kind of making fun of how you know they looked they had they look like scientists but we weren’t even
You know we’re working with shells but it was just funny the way that they looked uh we’re enjoying our time we’re we now only have like 48 hours I think to put everything together but um we’re enjoying our time this is something that’s going to last for
Generations to come right and this is something that small little piece that I got to do that I got to be a part of and you know for me I think it just makes me it makes me proud first of all to just be a part of this it makes me feel proud
That again this is something I get I got to do but in my like future Generations are also going to see this and you know as people are going to come to the luxury of them visit lecture them they’re going to see these decorations and
Um you know just maybe be wowed by it so um definitely uh I guess excited to see that part of it Today we reached another Milestone towards a grand dedication of akshardham devotees and guests from across the world came together for pratishta of the various Garba gurus of the Maha mandir as you know Gerber Guru are the sanctums or shrines of the mother housing the various avatars of bhagwan his Holiness
Mahansami Maharaj along with various senior swamis performed the pratishta ceremonies and Infuse life into these mortys of bhagwan during this ceremony the ambience the energy the devotion it was amazing let’s dive in and relive the sights the sounds and inspirational messages from today’s event in Robbinsville New Jersey the vision of his Holiness
To build an akshardham in North America has been realized [Applause] [Applause] Today in accordance with traditional Vedic rituals in the 12 garbagrus oh foreign bhagwan bhagwan Shri shiv parvatiji bhagwanshi tirupati padmavatiji SRI hanumanji SRI lakshmiji SRI Ganesh ji Shri kartikeji Vive swaminants I’m sure foreign foreign narayana foreign Foreign crochet [Applause] um foreign foreign foreign foreign foreign [Applause] foreign foreign foreign [Applause] thank you Foreign Gig oh my God Underneath It is English I don’t mind numbers In my tank done Yeah we look around subscribe what an awe-inspiring event every moment was truly captivating and the location inside the mahamander I was speechless absolutely Rocky Robin akshardham is home to some stunning architectural elements the Maha mandir is a sight to behold inside and out let’s now take our
Viewers on a journey on the details of the exterior of the mahamandir foreign let’s embark on a journey through the captivating exterior of the baps swaminarayan akshardham in Robbinsville New Jersey the mandir’s exterior reveals tales and features that Define its architectural brilliance with the jagati beat derived from the
Sanskrit words jagat and beat it serves as the physical representation of the base of the universe and is the physical foundation of the mahamandir it also serves architecturally to elevate the mahashikar and ensure stability the akshardham Maha mandir stands on a 1100 linear feet long jagatipit which is
20 feet tall and is composed of 13 layers of intricately carved Bulgarian and Turkish limestone Within These layers jeroko’s House murthis of bhagwan swaminarayan and unique quotes of wisdom from history’s most profound thinkers showcased in intricately carved frames adding depth and meaning to the akshardham mahamandir next the mandovar the exterior wall of
The mahamandir the mundovar is composed of 21 layers reaching 33 feet high it uniquely Blends tradition and innovation among the layers of the mundovar there are 108 bharatnatyam dance poses there are 112 beautifully carved images of rishis and sages and 151 different musical instruments all elegantly displayed underscoring the mandir’s
Dedication to tradition and the Arts ascending the temple stairs we enter the ardamandap the gateway to the inner sanctum the ardha mandap consists of three jokes the pravesh choki and two side chokis in the pravastoki two domes and six pillars reminiscent of mandirs of Modera in Western India showcase
Carvings of bhagwan Sami Narayan various swamis Shakti devis and ganeshi looking up the shikhars in samarans representing the upward spiritual aspiration of a devotee Hallmarks of the north India nagaradi architectural style come into view the Maha mandir features eight shikhars each above agarbagru and the Grand Sky piercing mashikar with 35 layers
This mahashika crowns the main garbagru which houses the Murthy of bhagwan swaminarayan and gunatanan Sami the sheikhari shikars inspired by architectural Styles dating back to the 5th Century display carvings of thiles elephants and murtis with folded hands eleven samarans Arch over flat ceilings and four Maha samrans dominate the interior domes
Harmonizing architectural Beauty with spiritual depth in summary the akshardham Maha mandir’s exterior is a blend of art history and spirituality standing before this Landmark we witness a masterpiece that Bridges tradition and Innovation etching stories in stone for generations to come Inside and out anyone that visits akshardham leaves inspired agree let’s now take a moment to hear what visitors have said about their experiences seeing akshardham for the first time in our voice of attendees segment have no expectations when you come and just be prepared to be mesmerized Mega
Rao CEO Holy Chic I lost my mom a year and a half ago and my mom was my biggest role model she was the strongest woman that I’ve ever known and a lot of those values have been passed down to me and my daughter and today I feel like I saw
A new definition of what strength really means and what devotion and Seva really means again I did not realize that there were so many volunteers involved in making this beautiful beautiful place and beyond that there were so many women I think about them putting on those those pink hats and those boots and
Really just putting this so much work into it like physical work and mental work and it really just inspired me to a whole new level this is my first time here and as I walk the campus and the premises it was beyond anything that I
Had in my mind or what I perceived I mean every single detail down to the carvings the story the fact that this is so much more than just a place of worship that there are so many Community elements so many engagement elements where we can bring
In people and it’s almost a form of Education to not just Hindus but people around the world of different backgrounds ethnicities to me that’s what really resonated and really stood out My name is randhir jaiswal I’m the consul general of India here in New York whenever I visit an akshardham Temple or premises or Community I have a sense of deep surge of positivity new energy the way akshardham presents itself as a spiritual center it has Excellence it has Aesthetics it
Has art it has culture it has Heritage it’s such a beautiful way of presenting India to the world India is an ancient civilization with all these beautiful attributes which has to be understood in a deeper Manner and shuddham and baps family does all that in a very meaningful and impactful
Manner in some sense I say that you are the cultural ambassadors of India all the people who are here they exude so much of devotion that you know I’m I’m truly truly blessed to have that sort of experience Equipment country this kind of a landmark they could not build some Miracles happening on this land a blessing from Lord swaminade Swami I have visited number of times here when I see the youngsters some of the businessmen some of the doctors coming all over the country and putting their
Life to the work aside those are the blessings that we see here it also give the blessing to the people who will visit here not only Hindus not only Indians I believe that all the religion people around the whole world will come here to visit
That is a kind of a spirit and vibration we have it’s giving the peace to everyone My name is I am New Jersey’s first female Indian American Municipal Court Judge I I’m literally speechless about what an incredible group of dedicated people akshardham is blessed with it all seems so surreal to walk through these hallways it was just this incredible depiction of beauty and
Peace and serenity that brought so much peace and Tranquility to your mind and it was almost like how can a single place just down the street from us be like that and to think now that my kids will have a place where they can go they can sit they can look they can
Just quietly be with themselves it’s it’s almost like I couldn’t have asked for a better upbringing for them even if you’re not Indian at all or you don’t come from an Indian background you you recognize Beauty nothing is unrelatable here foreign the structure is so big and and Grand
And there are thousands and thousands of people and then you come in and you just become part of that whole my name is sumitra karthikeyan uh I currently am the global head of strategy for CIB at JPMorgan Chase which was very impressive for me all these years and I I saw that
Firsthand today as well is um no human is small or big stronger weak everyone’s equal but the power magnifies when you’re together because individually and lots of people came and spoke about their stories today individually you may feel you’re you’re not capable of something or um that that you face challenges that
You may not be able to overcome yourself coming together in a place like this and and seeing so many people uh who have you know come through the same Journey uh and and feel that sense of community I think gives you groundedness that’s very very important As we continue our journey through the akshardham spotlight there’s a special event that truly embodies the spirit of unity and togetherness that’s right Rocky today we had the privilege of being a part of the celebrating Harmony program it wasn’t just any event it was a coming together of a diverse group of
Faiths and religions all Under One Roof from Mutual prayers to leaders from various faiths sharing messages of peace love and unity today was a testament to the power of how Unity can emerge from diversity Rocky let’s take our viewers on this profound journey of unity in diversity
As we look back at the highlights from the celebrating Harmony program [Applause] thank you [Applause] when we Foster a sense of Harmony and Community amongst different religious faiths we can work towards peace and social stability to paraphrase when people of different religions come together listen to one another and appreciate the
Richness of each other’s beliefs it builds bridges that overcome our differences This is Foreign People they describe in their different ways but the ultimate truth is one and that is God bhagavani or uh [Applause] today we are truly fortunate to be in the presence of so many spiritual Representatives each of our distinguished guests represents a faith and Social Service organization that is working to better the lives of the entire country by improving the lives of each individual and that is one of the reasons why we
Are all gathered here today to show the tens of thousands of people watching live that yes we can live together we can work together we can pray together and yes we can truly be happy together today as the convener of this historic assembly I would like to request SRI balajain to
Present our keynote address today when we are saying we are gathered here to celebrate faith is not just Interfaith dialogue what is important is that we can recognize each other see each other and not just respect our Prabhu swamiji reminded us at the United Nations he said we must
Love each other tolerance is not enough he said he said we need to accept we need to respect only then we can have Harmony amongst the faiths of the world today I would like to request representative Coughlin to address our assembly all of us are proud of our heritage and our culture
And the opportunity to bring those together and to form one unified Community a special place where we care and appreciate and respect and work together is something that is truly remarkable I would now like to request Rabbi kornsgold to address the assembly that’s really what today is all about that we
Are on this planet together and that we need to work together to make the world a better place that there is more that unites us and divides us and we have to take those things that unite us work together strive and work to make the world a better place in which to live Foreign Thank you I would like to request Bishop Darren Moore to address the assembly this monument that has been erected the wonderful way in which the Architects and have given so much detail is awe-inspiring but what makes this powerful most of all is the people who are part of this great
Movement thank you for the amazing amazing Hospitality today I would like to request his grace Bishop Athena goris to address the assembly in the boundless tapestry of creation we are called to recognize and celebrate the diverse ways in which Humanity seeks to connect with the divine
The beauty of faith and worship is a reflection of the divines infinite wisdom and love this Hindu temple represents a stracred space where individuals Gather in devotion seeking spiritual fulfillment and understanding through prayer and worship and dialogue may this Unique Piece of Indian art stand as a testament to our common
Humanity in May its sacred Halls be a place where hearts are uplifted and souls find Solace I would now like to request the venerable yahuwah to briefly address the assembly there are honors Master providers and sisters good evening it’s our honor to appreciate in this activity on behalf of Master conscience
Presidents of the Chinese China Buddhism Association of the U.S I would now like to request to share with us his experience and wisdom to help us go deeper into the Eternal messages of our gurus on this evening I wanted to emphasize that God is smiling from the heavens above
Why you may ask me because God our creator is a god of Harmony if God did not believe in harmony he would have created just one flower with one color because he has created billions of flowers with millions of color God Believes In Harmony We Believe that the essence of religion is harmony
And this forms the core belief of Hindu Dharma sanatan Dharma that the essence of all religions is harmony there is a beautiful Sanskrit core value God is one and the wise call him by many names we may be birds of different feathers and different flights but we
All belong to the same nest this Earth and our spiritual home bhagwan swaminan said our love should not be just limited to our followers our love should extend to people of other faiths our love should extend to people of no faith our love should extend to Nature
And creation when our love becomes as large as the universe the universe becomes a part of our hearts this is the message we should go out with again and again this akshardham it stands for the largest heart you can ever have which welcomes one and all without the
Distinction of Color Race religion caste or country it is the Abode of God which really promises greater peace and harmony foreign Now I would like to request the Sufi Imam Faisal Abdul rauf to address the assembly Hindu tradition is an ancient one and your insistence on maintaining your architectural and cultural tradition of building this mahamander as a traditional Stone Temple made of millions of pieces of handcrafted Limestone and marble is a
Powerful witness to your insistence on maintaining what is important and internal and eternal to your tradition and translating it and conveying it to the modern world in the Here and Now I would not like to request Rabbi David Levy to address the assembly my friends Shalom and namaste
I am honored to be here to represent American Jewish committee and our Jewish community at this celebration of interfaith Harmony in celebration of the dedication of this incredible awe-inspiring akshardham mahamandir I wish the entire baps fraternity and congratulations I would now like to request Swami Govinda Dev giriji Maharaj to address
The assembly we do the darshan really speaking architectural miracle it’s cultural Monument but really speaking it is the embodiment of all Hindu values and when I call Hindu values they are all humanitarian values they have been expressed here through every stone of the temple we should thank
For giving us the daration of this galaxy of great Saints here and today and today they are speaking the same language they are speaking the language of love thus picking the language of Harmony they are speaking the language of universal Brotherhood and therefore I bow down to all of them I worship them
And I expect that this should infiltrate this should percolate within our lives our followers and the whole Humanity I would now like to request Elder Buckner to address the assembly as I entered this beautiful location and I looked at the spiers and we were told of what they represent the ornate
Architecture but most importantly the effort and the artistic design that draws the the eyes to see light I started to recognize that I was looking heavenward I was doing exactly what a temple should do it should turn me to God it should help me see that I felt at home today
I honor you I celebrate This Magnificent location we in our own faith are temple building people we believe in the sanctity of sacred spaces and sacred places I would now like to request Santa Baba daljit Singh to address the assembly is very unique for us what I’m looking here Heaven on the Earth
Unity in diversity the Salah of nature it’s also the theme of the faith every faith vasudeva kutumbakam same I would now like to ask everyone to join me in warmly welcoming Congressman Matt Cartwright who proudly represents Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district members of this wonderful congregation I’m Congressman Matt Cartwright and it
Is my honor to be among you this evening when I see people who are part of the 12 000 volunteers Who Built This Magnificent Temple it teaches me a lot about volunteerism it teaches me a lot about working together we have learned much from our Indian friends and people of Indian descent and
We have more to learn yet I’m Congressman Matt Cartwright from Scranton Pennsylvania it’s a pleasure to be with you thank you jagat Guru Shri Shri Dr nirmada swamiji the 72nd pontiff of the SRI mahasamat Mart to address the assembly it gives many immense pleasure to be present on this occasion
Having built more than thousand temples across the world today’s Temple inauguration is not just an audition rather it is a crown and a grand addition to the entire galaxy of the temples built by swaminarayan temples we are on the rightly said life is very short all the vanities of the world are transient
He only lives who will live for others rest are more dead than alive today all the great Saints of swaminar and sampraday they have been living even after they have left their physical frame through their service we are going to remember world is going to remember for this service
For encouraging more and more service to be rendered to the society First I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of the faith leaders present for accepting our invitation and gracing this occasion [Applause] [Applause] Christian Muslim Jewish Buddhist yeah Hindu and many other faiths neither have blessed this assembly our spiritual Guru pramuksai imara used to say Dharma religion and spirituality spread love and respect amongst all that was the life that was his life’s motto ourselves to see you could the whole universe is one family
We are all connected to one another We Are All God’s Children if we come together and unite then we can make miracles foreign all the great founders of various faiths have conveyed same message of Love Harmony and compassion foreign drink the same water and we are on God’s children
This is the message of akshardham the same style the same Earth may be the same air drink the same water and we are all the God’s children this is a message [Applause] gave the same message he used to say the Purity is God’s power therefore anything can be achieved with unity
We pray to by God’s swaminarayan that we all get the strength to imbibe and spread these values of love unity and harmony and make this circle of unity bigger and better we are very grateful to all the faith leaders that have given their valuable time show love towards us and express their
Feelings about Universal Harmony I can never forget this event and the support of all the faith leaders I cannot thank you all enough with words I cannot thank you all enough it hurts but I offer my heartfelt pranam and namaskar to every every one [Applause] foreign You can catch more stories about our events and volunteers on the baps social media channels whether it’s Instagram x Facebook YouTube medium or LinkedIn dive deeper engage with our content and share your own akshara moments what a day from morning till night so Rocky I think that’s a wrap for our Spotlight today
Thank you for watching the akshadam spotlight join us again next time as we continue to explore and celebrate this Landmark location and event namaste
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