Festivities in Akshardham Temple: Series of cultural events organized as part of Centenary Celebrations

New Delhi: The world famous Akshardham Temple is in the news for some days now. The reason behind is series of cultural events & festivals being organized to mark the Centenary Year celebrations in memory of Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the founder of Akshardham temple. The festivities are being organized under the aegis of Gurudev Param Pujya Mahant Swami ji Maharaj, the current Guru & Chief of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushuottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). Hordes of devotees & followers are taking part in the cultural events to mark the Centenary Year celebrations.

On the occasion of Vijayadashmi, a ‘Vishwa Shanti Mahayag’ was held at the Akshardham Temple in presence of Gurudev Mahant Swami ji Maharaj. It saw participation of about 1,000 married couples who worshipped & offered prayers for the world peace. On the occasion of Sharad Poornima, a large scale ‘Sharad Utsav’ was organized which also witnessed a huge gathering of devotees. BAPS’ international convenor P Ishwacharan Swamy made a moving speech and listed out characteristics of ‘Saint like person’. He explained that for attaining peace & happiness in life, one must keep good company and self-restraint. The youth also got guidance & ‘margdarshan’ from the Swami ji himself.

On October 11, Youth Diwas was organized in presence of Swami ji and it saw participation of more than 1,000 youth boys & girls from the city. The youth pledged to follow the path of service, restraint & nation-service while keeping firm faith in the Almighty God. On the occasion of Karwa Chauth, a special program was held in which senior devotees took guidance from Swamiji and earned his blessings.

The UPSC aspirants, staying in Delhi also took blessings & inspiration from Swami ji’s life. On October 14, Bal Diwas celebrations was also held at the Akshardham temple. Hundreds of children along with their parents visited the premises of Akshardham temple and took blessings of the Guruji. The children also took part in hosts of programs including dance, debate and sports.

A couple of domestic & international delegates are also set to attend the Centenary celebrations, where they will visit the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and also take blessings of Param Pujya Swami Ji Maharaj. Large number of devotees are expected from various states including Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

On October 16, a grand program will be organized named ‘Pramukh Swami Shatabdi Vandana’. In the mega event, large number of Hindu seers will deliver sermons while young children are expected to keep the audience engaged with their performance.