Incredible India #4: The Akshardam on the edge of Delhi, and then on to Agra and the Baby Taj

After checking out of our hotel, on Friday, we had one more stop in Delhi, to the Birla (or Laxminarayan) Temple, built by the Birla family from 1933 to 1939.    It was the first large Hindu temple built in Delhi.   The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the preserver, and his consort the Goddess Lakshimi.  The temple area covers 7.5 acres and has guest houses where scholars can come and study.  It was dedicated by Mahatma Gandhi, on the condition that it would not be restricted to Hindus and people of all castes could enter and pray.

Later the same family built other Hindu temples throughout India.

We just went into the main temple, I believe, but there are gardens and other structures throughout the complex.  We and all who entered walked around clockwise in the direction that the earth rotates.  Beautiful statues adorned the inside where people prayed individually.

Bhanu gave us a very brief introduction to Hinduism on our way to the site.  He said that it is considered by many not really a religion bout a way of life.  It revolves around three major heads that represent the one God:  Brama, the Creator  Vishnu, the Preserver,  and Shiva, the god of death, as all life eventually ends.   Each male figure is also paired with a female one. Shiva's is Parvathi.  He mentioned there are many more minor gods and goddesses whose purpose is to teach about life, and followers choose the ones whose values have significance to their lives.   I recognize that I need to read up more on Hinduism in the future and will try to tackle at least  at bit of The Complete Idiots Guide to Hinuism  by my bedside in MA that a friend gave me.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside so as not to disturb worshipers and left our cameras and cell phones on the bus for safekeeping.  The pictures below  were the photos that I took from the bus.

As in all temples, we had to take off our shoes to enter and the floors are kept very clean. .  We soon learned to wear socks if we didn't want to go barefoot.

Did you notice the swastika above the sign?  It is an ancient symbol in the Indian sub-continent and first appeared in archeological records about 3000 BCE in the Indus Valley.    It is often pictured as follows:


According to Wikipedia, "The swastika is an important Hindu symbol.^[4][7] The word is ancient, derived from three Sanskrit roots "su" (good), "asti" (exists, there is, to be) and "ka" (make) and has meant a "making of goodness" or "marker of goodness".^[1] The icon connotes and reminds the viewer of something "conducive to well-being", "make good", prosperity and dharmic auspiciousness. The swastika symbol is commonly used before entrances or on doorways of homes or temples, to mark the starting page of financial statements, and mandala constructed for rituals such as weddings or welcoming a new born."^[7][68]  

So while it was strange for some of us to see, we realized too that it was an ancient symbol of India that has had a lovely meaning.

Our next stop was the Akshardam, a huge compound and Hindu Temple on the way out of Delhi, on the banks of the Yarmuna River. This spiritual complex opened in 2005, on land  donated by the government.  It is a beautifully ornate structure with over 20,000 statues, floral motifs and exquisitely carved pillars made of sandstone and marble, beautiful gardens and even a children’s playground. The idea was conceived in 1968, and was dedicated in November, 2005, after taking five years to construct.  

Akshardam means "the divine abode of God,"  The two billion dollars to build the complex was funded by donation world wide by followers of BAPS, Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha , a worldwide religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism.  7,000 carvers/sculptors and 3000 other volunteers worked for five years to build the Akshardam. More than 300 million volunteer hours went into the making of this complex.  Over 6,000 tons of pink sandstone was brought in from Rajasthan.  The initial stone carvings were done by machine and the details were done by hand.  Worker toiled through the night.  

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Again we could not take pictures, so these photos are from books I bought there. (You can find more on the official Swaminarayan Akshardham website.   

Nava and I were especially captivated by the elephant mural, which was, ten feet high and 1070 feet long of pink sandstone comprising 148 elephants, 42 other animals and 125 humans. It truly  was awesome and depicted elephants in nature, with humans and with the Divine.  The elephants breathe values, wisdom and wonder in people.

When parents are one, the family has fun!

There were sayings and/or stories attached to many of the scenes.  
Some included, "A mother's heart is her child's classroom."

Being mighty, the elephants never worry about winning or losing.  

 Lost in a dense jungle, a lonely goat, hungry and frightened, sat shivering beside a lion's footprint.  To the wolf and all the wild animals who threatened to kill and eat her, she declared that this footprint was her protector.  Unaware of what or who a lion was, the little goat's faith felt his power when all other animals fled at the sight of the footprint.  Finally the lion arrived.  Please by her faith in his footprint, he promised to protect her.  He summoned an elephant and ordered him to seat the goat on his back and carry her home with great honor while she merrily marched on soft leaves and ferns.  The message of this story is: " By taking refuge of the Great, even the meek and weak attain Greatness."

 The moral of the story above:  "Good people are not hurt nor hampered by things that people say or shout."

Ghanshyam's uncle served in the local king's army, which had camped in a village nearby.  To visit his uncle, he searched inside one of the tents.  There he saw some soldiers killing innocent animals.  Ghanshyam was deeply saddened and prayed for it to stop.  Suddenly, the army's elephants and horses grew wild and began to run wild, causing chaos in the camp.  One mad elephant chased the terrified king, who climbed a tree to save himself.  The elephant almost floored the tree, but Ghanshyam calmed the animals by his divine grace. Rescued from certain death, the king thanked Ghanshyam and pledged never to kill animals.  He taught the message of non-violence.  The message is:  "When we cannot give life, how can we ever take it?"

 We only had a short time here but found the place beautiful and overwhelming! 
I wish we could have stayed longer to truly appreciate this awesome place.
  
Bhanu told us that over 50,000 needy people are fed here.  Adherents donate 5% of their earnings to the temple to pay for its upkeep.

Another thing Bhanu told us was the different views on eating of beef.  Almost all Hindus do not eat beef.   If a person is caught eating beef in Delhi, s/he can be sentenced to five years in prison.  In the south and east, there are many Catholics, so beef is eaten there without punishment. Bhanu also says that in hot weather, beef is known to be hard to digest and therefore, not healthy. Strangely, India is the largest exporter of beef in the world--mainly sending it to Pakistan and China.  The government just reduced the beef export tax from 30% to 8%, making it easier to export beef,  though the Prime Minister, a nationalistic Hindu, says he is opposed to the export of beef as food.  This is one of the paradoxes of life in India.  

We then headed out of the city SSE toward Agra, about a five hour drive on the expressway with stops. 


 We stopped every hour and a half or so for a bathroom stop, and each stop had a variety of touristy items to buy.    I bought a CD of yoga music and then realized that my new car does not have a slot for CDs!  The bathroom had regular "western" toilets but also had local squat ones too.   There were often hoses nearby to rinse out the toilets, and people outside passed out towels for wiping our hands after we washed them. We usually gave them a small tip.   Most of us opted for the western style toilets!

We drove  two hours to our lunch stop.  The way was flat and we saw lots of fields and brick factories. 

A brick making factory/kiln.  Bricks are cheap and easy to produce.

A storage shed.  We saw many of them along the roa

Probably housing for those working in the brick factory.

Sheep grazing in fields with shepherd--taken through the bus window

Storing straw bundles

A goatherd and part of his flock along the highway

Cattle wandering through town

A town a bit away from the road

For part of the way we were in a new elevated highway/ toll road, which opened in about 2013.

The car toll was about $2.50, for this stop, which seemed expensive to us.

Along the way, Bhanu  told us stories, including one of the Baal Shem Tov, whose moral was, "Whatever we do with a clean heart and are thankful, it works."    

He also told us many stories of Mullah Nasruddin during our bus rides and we asked for more as they were delightful, often humorous,  and educational.  His stories were popularized a bit in the US in the late 90s.   Nasruddin was a satirical Sufi, born in the 13th century in what is now Turkey.  He appeared in thousands of stories.  An international Nasruddin Hodja festival occurs annually in his home town between the 5th and 10th of July.

Bhanu told us more about Shiva,the god of death, who has four arms and a snake around his neck.  He is the most innocent of all gods.  His wife Pavati controls him if he goes out of line.  He mentioned that the sound "ohm" is not a letter or word, but just a sound in the silence in ourselves.

Before we got to Agra, Bhanu told us it was in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is famous for 135 varieties of mango (wow! I want to try more!!), and two varieties of sugar cane.  Local farmers also grow a lot of mustard, wheat, and potatoes, most of which are harvested in March and April.   

He told us  more about the national government and foreign relations.  He said that India's President has a role a bit like that of Ireland's.  The country has a constitution, upper and lower houses  The Indian army is under the president, and India has the second largest standing army in the world after China.  

India has cordial relationships with all countries except sometimes China and Pakistan.  At partition, each state could decide which county to join, Pakistan or India.  the puppet (Hindu) head of Muslim Kashmir said that he wanted to stay independent.  Since partition, there has been unresolved borders dispute between India and both China and Pakistan.

Our next stop was at the Tomb of I'timad-ud'Daulah, also known as Baby Taj.  it is called the Baby Taj as it was the first Mughal building to be faced with white marble inlaid with contrasting stones.  The golden age of Agra (then called Akbarabad) was during the Mughal rule.

The Entry building

 It is small, gentle and intimate but just as ornate as the Taj Mahal.  it was built between 1622 and 1628.   The building is symmetrical, with a center room surrounded by eight smaller rooms.  

Before Muslims came to India in larger numbers in the 1100s, Indian architecture had simple columns and flat roofs.  By the 12th century, one saw arches and domes.  Gradual changes culminated in the Baby Taj and then the Taj Mahal.  

Agra is one of the only places in India whee inlaid work is done such what was seen first historically at this site.  There are floral and geometric patterns, but no living creatures with the inlaid stones.

A web photo

Here are more pictures of the outside Baby Taj and the incredible inlaid stones in marble.

Behind the Baby Taj, people taking care of goats by the river

Two young children taking care of the animals while the mothers sat and watched.  The girl happily waved.  The boy jumped and encouraged us to take pictures and when someone did, he held out his hands, asking for money.

I was surprised to see a pig wandering in the sand close to the other animals

Dogs waiting in the manicured grass for handouts

I realized when others took pictures of these four women that the women were posing for photographs and then asked for money.

As we drove from the baby Taj to our hotel in Agra, Bhanu told us more about the city.  Agra has a bit under two million people with about 3.8 million if you include the surrounding area.  Monuments in Agra are from medieval times of the Mohguls, builders in India from 1426-1847.  The Mohguls assimilated themselves in the population, which is one of the reasons they were so successful.  They introduced the Persian style of arches and some "delicacy" of language.  India had had business relations with Persia for many centuries before, so they were not total strangers.  In the 16th century, Agra was called the City of Gardens and was the capital of India, but the capital was shifted to Delhi in the 17th century.  By the 18th century, the Mughul empire was in decline as the East India company began to move in. 

Both the Taj Mahal and the Agra fort (from 1575) that we would see the next day  are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Our visits and travel took longer than expected, so we really didn't have free time.  We arrived at our hotel, had dinner together, did some laundry as we would be at the hotel for two nights,  and went to sleep.

At this hotel we did not have to go through security as we came in, but we did have a  finely dressed greeter at the entrance!

My next blog will focus on our visits to the Taj Mahal, a cooperative where the art of inlaid stone work ins still done today, and finally to the Agra Fort.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog!

Please do leave comments below.