The Swaminarayan Akshardham temple is the second of its kind (the original being in Gujarat), and unlike the rest of this line-up it’s a recent construction having been completed only in 2005. Replicating the style of architecture fairly prevalent in Gujarat and Rajasthan that take from Vastu Shastra and Pancharatra Shastra, the Akshardham temple boasts of the the ornate external wall (Mandovar), which is the only and largest intricately carved structure with dimensions of 611ft x 31ft that has been built in the last 800 years. Every nook and cranny is an example of geometry and symmetry. It consists of 234 ornately carved pillars, 9 ornate domes, 20 quadrangled shikhars, a spectacular Gajendra Pith (plinth of stone elephants) and 20,000 murtis and statues.
