Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived in Ahmedabad and will shortly visit the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple silver jubilee celebrations in Gandhinagar where he will take part in the silver jubilee celebrations of the grand temple built by the late Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
PM Modi will also inaugurate the Mayur Dwar (a new entrance) and will perform puja at Abhishek Sthal. He is also slated to take part in the Prarthna and Arati at the temple.
Before flying back to national capital, the Prime Minister will have an interaction with religious figures of Bochasanwasi Shri Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.
Here's the Live Updates:
# PM Modi finishes his speech
# I assure you- you may not enter the temple as a Bhakt but you will leave as one: PM Modi
# Akshardham temples stand out for excellent management and usage of technology. We will always be grateful to Pramukh Swami for this: PM Modi
# What was special about Pramukh Swami was that he understood the importance of changing with times and yet retaining a human touch: PM Modi
# Pramukh Swami was never guided by ‘expanding influence’ for the sake of it. He was more interested in improving lives of people: PM Modi
# PM Modi starts addressing gathering at Akshardham temple
7:18pm: PM Narendra Modi offers prayers at Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar
6:55pm: Cultural programmes underway at Akshardham temple during its silver jubilee celebrations
6:30pm: PM Narendra Modi arrives at Akshardham temple, to participate in silver jubilee celebrations
5:30pm: PM Modi arrives in Ahmedabad
To commemorate this historic occasion, the 'Akshardham Sanatanam Show: An Immersive Experience' has been created for the first time.
Earlier in April, the PM had paid tribute to spiritual guru and head of BAPS of Swaminarayan sect Pramukh Swami who died at the sect's temple in Sarangpur in Botad district.
The Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar was built over 13 years and is a tribute to Swaminarayan and his life and teachings. At the centre of the 23-acre complex is the temple, which is built from 6,000 metric tons of pink sandstone. The temple measures 108 feet high, 131 feet wide and 240 feet long and features 97 carved pillars, 17 domes, 8 balconies, 220 stone beams and 264 sculpted figures. In accordance with Vedic architectural principles, no steel or iron has been used anywhere in the temple.
